Explore transportation on land, sky, space, and sea with these great STEM reads.
Big Bertha by Amanda Abler and illustrated by Katy Wu
This is the true story of the enormous tunnel boring machine that was used to dig and build the longest and widest road tunnel in the continental United States. It explores how the machine worked and the real-world problem-solving involved in constructing a nearly two-mile long earthquake-safe highway underneath the city of Seattle.
Ultimate Trains (Machines of the Future) by Peter McMahon and illustrated by Andy Mora
Think of the many train tracks and the aerodynamic, fast trains that carry goods and passengers on those tracks in today’s world. Discover the history of trains from their beginnings to the present, and even where they could be heading in the future. This book includes accessible experiments that can be conducted at home or school to discover how STEM is involved in train movements.
From Here to There: Inventions that Changed the Way the World Moves by Vivian Kirkfield and Gilbert Ford
This book celebrates the inventors who transformed how we travel by land, air, and water. It highlights groundbreaking innovations like the passenger steam locomotive, hot air balloon, and automobile, and the visionary creators behind them. The book chronicles the experiments, failures, and successes that changed the way the world moves.
Means of Transport That Almost Changed the World by Tom Velcovsky and Stepanka Sekanivova, illustrated by Martin Sodomka
Many people are familiar with the vehicles that we see on a daily basis. But what about all the transportation inventions that were never duplicated? Complete with illustrations, this book takes us from 1900 onwards to see what STEM creations helped us progress to the types of transportation we do use today, despite not reaching the market. These ideas can be a launching pad to create our own invention, perhaps something that we will use for travel in the future!
Everything Tesla: From How They Work to How Fast They Go and All the Fun In Between! by Aiden Miao and Eliana Miao
Discover how social media and engineering worked together to reach a world market for Tesla products. Told through two children’s perspectives, this book provides diagrams and bite-sized details with analogies that support the science concepts along the way. The book shares the history, present, and future of Tesla innovations.
Means of Transport That Changed The World by Tom Velcovsky, Stepanka Sekaninova, and illustrated by Martin Sodomka
This book shares the sensationalized history of cars, trains, and planes through text and detailed illustrations. The authors include information about the history of well-known and less-known vehicles. The focus is on the tales told about various transportation.
Aircraft: The Definitive Visual History by DK Definitive Transport Guides
A guide on the history and evolution of aviation, this book showcases over 800 aircraft from early flying machines to modern jets. The book covers military and commercial planes decade by decade and includes the stories of the engineers and manufacturers, such as Boeing and Airbus, who shaped the aviation industry.
Transported: 50 Vehicles that Changed the World Matt Ralphs and Rui Ricardo
Explore fifty groundbreaking vehicles that have shaped history, from ancient chariots to solar-powered planes. The book showcases land, water, air and space transportation and includes details about how these inventions have changed the world and may shape the future.
Working Boats: An Inside Look at Ten Amazing Watercraft by Tom Crestodina
This book explores vessels like Coast Guard ships, research boats, and crabbing vessels, showing how they operate, the equipment they use, and what life is like for the crews on board. Using detailed cross sections and exploded views of ten working boats, revealing their inner mechanics and the jobs they’re built to do. It provides information on maritime instruments, safety gear, diesel engines, and more.
Save the Crash-Test Dummies by Jennifer Swanson
There’s lots to explore when it comes to the science of car safety and engineering. In this book, winner of the NSTA Best Stem Award, Jennifer Swanson, shares just the right amount of history about cars and how they work. Find out about the variety of crash-test dummies in the many experiments that have brought us to today’s remarkable level of car safety.
This month’s STEM Tuesday book list was prepared by:
Bev Schellenberg is an author (A Prince Among Dragons; A Princess Among Dragons), as well as a writer of creative nonfiction, poetry, and picture books. She’s an advocate of STEM who was a science fair national winner and high school robotics club sponsor, and passionate about young people discovering, following the passion inside them and flourishing. She’s taught grades kindergarten to grade 12 and is currently an academic advisor, careers teacher, and armchair futurist. Learn more about Bev at BevSchellenberg.com.
Carolyn Pfister is a STEM Content Developer, writer/illustrator, and coordinator of the California Early Math Project. She is interested in encouraging family and community STEM opportunities and maintaining children’s early love and success with math and science. Carolyn writes a monthly Substack on behalf of the California Early Math Project – https://carolynpfister.substack.com/. Learn more about Carolyn at Carolynpfister.com
Kim: Absolutely! It wasn’t until March 2025 (MARCH 2025!!!) that scientists captured the very first image of a colossal squid in its natural habitat! And it was such a baby! I can’t wait for pics of a full-size colossal squid. There is so much more of the ocean to explore. We haven’t scratched the surface. For land animals, drones make it so much easier to explore hard-to-reach places. And as airborne DNA collection advances, we’ll be able to identify species without even seeing them. That’s huge. Right now, so much is based on eyesight and catching a glimpse, but environmental DNA and airborne DNA open the door to discover where super secretive animals may be hiding.
says they saw a dog running down the street, there’s no reason to question their opinion. But if someone says they saw a 6-foot bird screeching at them, our eyebrows raise. So, if we assume the person saw something, let’s take a look at what factors might be affecting their opinion, and then we can get into the traditional wildlife science of habitat and what technologies can help figure out what that something is.
Kim: When I was a kid, I loved animals and science and the only job I heard about was a veterinarian, which didn’t interest me. I want kids to know that there are tons of fields related to wildlife research, and not all jobs require higher education. Perhaps a kid who’s into computers never thought wildlife coding or programming was an option and will be thrilled to discover that these opportunities exist.
Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature’s Undead
Catching Cryptids: The Scientific Search for Mysterious Creatures
Secrets of the Dead: Mummies and Other Human Remains From Around the World
Carla Mooney loves to explore the world around us and discover the details about how it works. An award-winning author of numerous nonfiction science books for kids and teens, she hopes to spark a healthy curiosity and love of science in today’s young people. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three kids, and dog. Find her at 