Introduce your kid to the periodic table with The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Elements (by author/illustrator Lisa Congdon), a gorgeously...well, illustrated book that teaches young readers about all 118 currently known elements that make up the universe around us.

Rather than presenting this information in a dry, uninteresting way, the book combines the science itself with humor, history, infographics, fascinating trivia, and profiles of notable scientists to make the subject engaging and fun. Readers will learn what elements are, what they're made of, how we discovered them, how they work together (or don't, as the case may be), how we make use of them, and much more.

This is one of those books you and your middle schooler can sit down and read together, and both learn something from.

Get the book in these formats:

• Hardcover ($23) ← recommended
• Kindle ($10)
• Apple Books ($10)