Books of a feather do well in a series together—that seems to be a guiding principle for companies publishing STEM/STEAM titles. Efforts in this category at Eerdmans Books for Young Readers “have grown tremendously” in recent years, according to marketing manager Amy Burton Storey. As a result, in June, Eerdmans editorial director Kathleen Merz announced the formation of the Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers series, debuting this month.
“We’ve been building on our catalog of books with science, technology, engineering, art, and math themes, and because we’re continuing to see growing market demand as well as more proposals for vibrant, exceptional STEAM books, we thought it made sense to formalize our collection with a series,” Merz said at the time. She later told PW, “This series reflects our intention and enthusiasm for continuing to publish innovative, high-quality STEAM titles. It also gives us a way to celebrate and highlight the exceptional titles on our backlist.” Kingdoms of Life, Carly Allen-Fletcher’s picture book journey through the six kingdoms of classification, out August 13, will be the first new release under the series umbrella.
Series growth is on tap at Candlewick’s MIT Kids and MITeen imprints, too. “We’re excited to be expanding Eleanor Spicer Rice and Rob Wilson’s Your Hidden Life middle grade series, and Joy Hakim’s Discovering Life’s Story history of life science series for YA readers,” says Phoebe Kosman, director of marketing, publicity, and key partnerships, pointing out that both series debuted with acclaimed launch titles in 2023 and that Candlewick is publishing the second book in each series this year. “And we’ve just launched the Cosmic Collisions series, which offers exciting matchups between celestial objects, with a dynamic approach and art that appeals to emerging readers.”
Jess Garrison, senior executive editor at Dial Books for Young Readers, says, “Personality-driven, approachable, quippy and conversational with bright, bold artwork, but never skimping on the science goods—this is a big part of what I see working in the STEM space for very little kids, and what I enjoy myself as a reader, editor, and parent.”
Garrison is now publishing two series that incorporate a number of these elements. Emily Kate Moon’s Science Pals picture book series, which debuted in 2021 with Drop: An Adventure Through the Water Cycle, features characters who personify the concepts of water, air, and light. And the Meet Your World picture book series by Laurie Ann Thompson and Jay Fleck—beginning with 2023’s You Are a Honey Bee!—spotlights backyard critters and focuses on what they and kids have in common.
“Both series are rigorously researched and fact-checked and full of age-appropriate information, even as they’re joyful, imaginative, and playful,” Garrison says. “We think of them as an invitation for kids to dip their wee toes into some great big concepts.”
Similarly, Bloomsbury editor Megan Abbate says, “visual and colorful” is a STEAM design trend she’s been seeing. “I am a big proponent of delivering nonfiction in highly visual formats —we know that young readers are gravitating more and more toward graphic novels, and we should be offering similar formats when it comes to nonfiction. It’s a way to pique readers’ interest and foster visual literacy; also, many STEM/STEAM concepts lend themselves to visual formats to deepen readers’ understanding.” She places Heather L. Montgomery and Lindsey Leigh’s book Sick! The Twists and Turns of Animal Germs on her list of examples. “Heather breaks down the microscopic—things like germs and immune systems—and Lindsey brings the concepts to life with her playful, kid-friendly art.”
Putnam’s new humorous nonfiction picture book series Meet the Wild Things by Haley and John Rocco launched in June with Hello, I’m a Sloth and Hello, I’m a Pangolin, and Hello, I’m a Quokka is scheduled to hit shelves next month. Told from the point of view of a lesser-known endangered animal, each book offers kid-friendly facts and provides information on how the animal became endangered and how humans are trying to help. The series jibes well with the Roccos’ work as ambassadors for nonprofit Wild Tomorrow, which focuses on conservation and rewilding South Africa, and their roles as cofounders of Children’s Book Creators for Conservation.
Another industry conservation activist, Heidi Hill, founder and publisher of Blue Dot Kids Press, is currently aboard a ship with her family taking part in the Set Sail for Science program to collect data for ocean conservation organizations. She’s conducting business along the way and relayed Blue Dot’s latest STEAM efforts. “After starting with board books and picture books, expanding into chapter books made sense, as it will enable older readers to grasp the same themes and will prepare them for their own educational adventures,” she says. “Our new chapter book series The Kaleidoscope Club explores issues that kids are grappling with today and celebrates creative thinking and collaboration—key skills for 21st-century learners.” The inaugural title, Garden Surprise, came out in April, and the second volume, Meteor Shower, pubs this fall.
“We’re definitely expanding on the STEM/STEAM front,” says Alyssa Mito Pusey, executive editor at Charlesbridge. “Nonfiction has always been one of our strengths, comprising half our list or more. More than half of that nonfiction is typically STEM-related. And that doesn’t include our fiction about STEM topics.”
The company launched two STEM series last year: Hands-On Science by Lola M. Schaefer and How to Explain Science to a Grown-Up by Ruth Spiro. New entries in those series, as well as in the company’s Baby Loves Science series and Storytelling Math series, arrive this year. Pusey also touts STEAMworks, the new series of STEAM board books and pictures books that Charlesbridge is developing in partnership with the Count Play Explore initiative in California. (For a closer look at this project, see “Full STEAM Ahead at Charlesbridge,” p. 26.)
Greystone Kids kicked off its first graphic novel nonfiction series, Science Adventure Club, in 2023 with Super Space Weekend. Next up is October’s Super Ocean Weekend, with Super Forest Weekend to follow next year. “This is an area of growth for us because these titles are exceptional in the way they balance fun and information, and also because they are for an age range that is currently underrepresented in this genre,” says associate publisher Lara LeMoal. To that point, Greystone Kids plans to add another nonfiction graphic novel series in spring 2025, Little Habitats, which introduces readers to small, vital ecosystems, starting with Barnacle Bay.
