ABCs of Science

Quantum physicist Chris Ferrie does something clever here: he designs one board book that works across a surprisingly wide age range. Each letter carries a single word and picture for babies, a short sentence for toddlers, and a two-to-three sentence paragraph for older children — so the book genuinely grows with the reader from infancy through early elementary. The science is accurate (Ferrie knows his amoebas from his zygotes), the art is charming, and the exposure to STEM vocabulary early is the whole point. The Baby University series has sold millions of copies worldwide for good reason. The honest caveat: babies are not going to understand "quark" or "zygote" — the value here is long-term and aspirational, with parents doing most of the work in early years. The content is also necessarily thin at each letter. But as a gateway to scientific curiosity, it's delightful.