Smithsonian Informational Text Reading Collections

Created in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, these STEAM book sets builds students' literacy skills while fostering curiosity, creativity, and innovation.

The hands-on STEAM challenges are ideal for makerspace activities and guide students through each stage of the engineering design process. The real-world examples give students insight into how the engineering design process is used to solve real-world problems. With dynamic images and intriguing text features to enhance the reading experience, this set will engage students' minds and imaginations!

Animals & Ecosystems Grades K-2 (9 book set) includes the following titles (titles may be substituted):

• A Den for Bei Bei
• Building a Beaver Lodge
• Helping Animals Learn
• Helping Injured Animals
• Learning About Sharks
• Raising Silkworms
• Bones on Display
• Creating a Habitat
• Hatching a Chick

Creative Solutions Grades K-2 (9 book set) includes (titles may be substituted):

• Building Lighthouses
• Finding the Right Container
• Making More Doughnuts
• Making Water Safe
• Pulling Taffy
• Solving Problems at the Zoo
• Cooking Innovations
• Growing Plants in Space
• Staying Dry

Fun in Action Grades K-2 (9 book set) includes (titles may be substituted):

• Being Like Butterflies
• Building Sandcastles
• Folding Paper
• What Toys Can Do
• Making Crayons
• The Art of Shadow Puppets
• Creative Machines
• The Science of Gems
• Safe Cycling

History & Culture Grades K-2 (9 book set) includes (titles may be substituted):

• Cooling Off
• Lighting the Night
• Making Music
• Staying Afloat
• Staying Warm
• Taking Food To-Go
• Living in Sunlight Extremes
• Making Maps
• Piecing Art Together

The Natural World Grades K-2 (9 book set) includes (titles may be substituted):

• Making Shade
• Garden Life
• Playing with Wind
• Powered by the Sun
• Seeing More Stars
• Studying Snowflakes
• Dealing with Wildfires
• Mimicking Nature
• Protecting a Sinking City

Animals & Ecosystems Grades 3-5 (9 books set) includes (titles may be substituted):

• Raising Clouded Leopards
• Amphibian Rescue
• Restoring Muddy Creek
• Designing Butterfly Exhibits
• Organic Farming
• Saving the Arctic
• Saving a Species
• Life in a Cube
• Saving Migratory Birds

Creative Solutions Grades 3-5 (9 book set) includes (titles may be substituted):

• Taking Photos from Space
• Helping People See
• From Grass to Bridge
• The Evolution of Space Suits
• Designing a Shuttle
• Electric Vehicles
• Thomas Edison: Lighting a Revolution
• The Science of Glass
• The Art and Science of Skateboarding

History & Culture Grades 3-5 (9 book set) includes (titles may be substituted):

• Making a Mummy
• Navigating at Sea
• Saving Culture from Disaster
• Powered by Steam
• The Culture of Calendars
• Conserving an Aircraft
• Digging Up Dinosaurs
• Inka Terraces
• Designing National Parks

Pushing the Limits Grades 3-5 (9 book set) includes (titles may be substituted):

• Underwater Training
• Botanical Illustration
• The Wright Brothers
• Rebuilding the Body
• Making Movies in Technicolor
• Selling More Snacks
• Living and Working in Space
• Making Music with Magnets
• Color-Changing Cephalopods

The Natural World Grades 3-5 (9 book set ) includes (titles may be substituted):

• Predicting Earthquakes
• Mapping the Milky Way
• Blue Crab Comeback
• Exploring Volcanic Activity
• Tracking a Storm
• The Science of Waves and Surfboards
• Guided by Stars
• Plant Invaders
• Making an Ocean Ecosystem