Microscopes and Microbes Picture Books for Kids

A few weeks ago I upgraded my kids’ microscope. To this point, we’ve used a simple 8x, two-eyepiece microscope (pictured below), and we have loved it! We’ve explored a variety of treasures we’ve found on our nature walks, coins, and super small print in books. Pictured below is our seed study, part of our nature curriculum, which you can read more about here.

But, it was time to upgrade this school year. (My older is in 2nd grade and younger in kindergarten.) A “real” microscope seemed like a homeschooling rite of passage! I figured my boys would be excited, as generally anything NEW is met with high praise. I wasn’t prepared for how obsessed my 7yo would become! He has stayed up late, not reading his beloved chapter books, but instead viewing specimens through his new microscope! It’s been really fun– though slightly weird to be called off the couch at 9pm to view paramecium.

If you’re curious, we purchased this microscope. I’ve been so pleased. It’s reasonably priced.  It is all metal yet not heavy (my son is able to carry it). It has both fine and coarse adjustment knobs, and it has lights from both above and below to use for opaque or translucent specimens. My kids have had to persevere to learn how to focus and adjust on the various specimens, and they’ve managed to do so within just a few days.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn a small commission from eligible purchases. 

I’ve put these slides on the birthday wishlist.

As we do at any opportunity, we filled our life with books to tie-in. We’ve found a few treasures that I wanted to share with you!

Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak & Julian Frost. This initially looks like a preschool board book in its shape and with sturdy, thick pages (not board but thick, glossy paper). But, it’s brilliant and it includes electron microscope images. “Min” the microbe takes readers on a journey into the tiny tiny world of microbes, from those living on teeth, on a dirty shirt, in a belly button. We meet 4 types of microbes and learn a little bit about what they really look like, too. This is a great introductory book!

Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies; ill by Emily Sutton. A favorite nature author/illustrator team of ours! This book begins by introducing the relative size of microbes, where they live, what they look like, what their functions are on earth, and how they can make us sick. Another wonderful introductory book, with more depth than the one above.

Greg’s Microscope by Millicent E. Selsam; ill by Arnold Lobel (of Frog & Toad fame). This is an “I-Can-Read” level 3 book and so well done! Greg’s father buys him a microscope but not any slides, so he makes his own from a variety of household substances– salt, sugar, flour, thread, hair. A sweet story of a family captivated by science and the wonder of the microscopic world, with great basics illustrated.

All In a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered An Invisible World by Lori Alexander; ill by Vivien Mildenberger. This was a fascinating and accessible biography of the father of microbiology. 80 pages with color illustrations throughout. We found it especially interesting to learn that he had no formal education or standing in society, but through persistence, curiosity, and wonder he made astounding discoveries. This paired well with our study of the American colonization period (the Pilgrims spent a period of time in Holland just prior to setting sail for the New World, during Leeuwenhoek’s lifetime and for reasons that intersected with this biography).

June Almeida, Virus Detective! The Woman Who Discovered the First Human Coronavirus by Suzanne Slade. This lovely picture book biography of the virologist June Almeida can be read in one sitting. Immediately attention-grabbing with its coronavirus history, this book covers not only June’s life but also the basics of electron microscopes, antibodies, viruses, and what corona even means (“crown” as the dots surrounding the virus look like a crown). June’s work included creating the first image of the rubella virus, discovering the hepatitis B virus is made of two components, and publishing high-quality images of the HIV virus. An afterward provides more biographical information as well as June’s work with the electron microscopes during her career.

Hidden Worlds: Looking Through a Scientist’s Microscope by Stephen Kramer; photos by Dennis Kunkel. Full of amazing photographs taken with a variety of microscopes, this book is one you could linger over. Although there is quite a bit of (very interesting!) text, you could certainly read the captions and enjoy the photographs alone! We found it interesting that each photo’s caption included the type of microscope it was captured with and under what magnification.

Those were our favorites in our most recent exploration! Do you have titles to add? Connect with me in the comments below or on my Instagram or Facebook accounts.