Picture Books that Science Teachers Can Use to Teach Motion, Force, Inertia, Buoyancy, Density and Displacement

I was helping a student today find a few picture books that science teachers can use to teach motion, force, inertia, buoyancy, density and displacement. Perhaps this can be useful for you.

In the reference book More Science Through Children’s Literature a chapter is devoted to “Force, Motion, and Music.” The picture book upon which this chapter is based is Berlioz the Bear by Jan Brett. About six pages of activities are provided, including activities pertaining to inertia.

A couple of other book titles that are related to motion and inertia include:

Motion: push and pull, fast and slow by Darlene Still

And everyone shouted “pull!”: a first look at forces and motion by Claire Llewellyn

Energy in motion by Melissa Stewart


The picture book Stone Soup by Heather Forest is used to teach buoyancy, density, and displacement in the reference book Teaching Science with Favorite Picture Books by Ann Flagg. About 5 pages of suggested activities are provided. Other book titles recommended in Teaching Science with Favorite Picture Books are:

Keep It Afloat by Julian Rowe

Red Fox and His Canoe by Nathaniel Benchley.

Sunken Treasure by Gail Gibbson