Books by Mike Barfield
“There are plenty of dinosaurs in here, but the book covers all of prehistoric life. You can dip in and find the bits on dinosaurs you want, but it also gives an appreciation that ancient life is much more than that.” Read more...
Best New Science Books for Children: Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2025
Tamsin Mather, Scientist
The Element in the Room: Investigating the Atomic Ingredients that Make Up Your Home
Mike Barfield (illustrated by Lauren Humphrey)
“This book tells a story about another thing that’s key in our world—the elements that make up matter and what their properties are—and presents them very well.” Read more...
The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize
Sheila Rowan, Physicist
Interviews where books by Mike Barfield were recommended
-
1
100 Things to Know About Numbers, Computers & Coding
Alex Frith (illustrated by Federico Mariani and Parko Polo) -
2
The Bacteria Book: The Big World of Really Tiny Microbes
by Steve Mould -
3
The Element in the Room: Investigating the Atomic Ingredients that Make Up Your Home
Mike Barfield (illustrated by Lauren Humphrey) -
4
Kid Scientists: True Tales of Childhood from Science Superstars
David Stabler (illustrated by Anoosha Syed) -
5
Planetarium: Welcome to the Museum
Raman Prinja (illustrated by Chris Wormell) -
6
Making With States of Matter
by Anna Claybourne
The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Sheila Rowan
The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Sheila Rowan
If you’re looking for the best books to get kids excited about science, the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize is a great place to start. Physicist and astronomer Sheila Rowan, chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the fabulous books that made this year’s shortlist.
-
1
Green: The Story of Plant Life on Our Planet
Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton -
2
Patience...
Rachel Williams, illustrated by Leonie Lord -
3
The Wild Life of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals
by Mike Barfield & Paula Bossio (illustrator) -
4
The Animal Body Book
by Jess French & Jonathan Woodward (illustrator) -
5
The Rocks Book
by Nancy Dickmann -
6
The History of Information
by Chris Haughton
Best New Science Books for Children: Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2025, recommended by Tamsin Mather
Best New Science Books for Children: Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2025, recommended by Tamsin Mather
The Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize celebrates the best new science books for kids. Professor Tamsin Mather, Earth scientist and chair of the 2025 judging panel, introduces this year’s shortlist and explains how scientific storytelling can awaken children’s sense of exploration of the world around them.
