PICTURE BOOKS (ages 4–6)
S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge
OCTOBER 3 – 24, 2025
This is a reading challenge unlike any that have ventured before. Not just because there are
cool bonuses
but because these
books
are secret worlds that will launch your future in ways you never imagined. Let’s explore some great reads!
Sign up to get information about this year's Reading Challenge.
Your Mission
Base Goal
Read (or be read to) for a total of 150 minutes.
Earn 5 virtual tickets and a reward package
(packages can vary).
Bonus Goals
Read (or be read to) for an additional 30 minutes.
Earn 3 tickets.
Tickets
Submit tickets to any of the bonuses found in your Beanstack account.
Final day to submit virtual tickets is October 25, 2025.
Bonuses to Win
Picture Book Bonuses
Be rewarded for your S.T.E.A.M. reading adventure with digital badges, virtual tickets, a certificate of completion, and a package of goodies (reward packages can vary). For those who want a greater chance to win bonuses, earn extra tickets by continuing to explore secret worlds hidden inside books!
(Bonuses can only be redeemed through Beanstack and the last day to submit virtual tickets is October 25, 2025. Bonus winners will receive an email notifying them of how to collect their bonus.)
S.T.E.A.M. Reading List
Picture Books
Most of the books listed below can be found at your local library. Happy book hunting!
Download the 2025 Picture Book Recommended Reading List PDF.
View Recommended Reading Lists from previous years.
The 2025 Picture Book Recommended Reading List
Download the
2025 Picture Book Recommended Reading List PDF.
All About Patterns by Elizabeth Rusch
Alpacas Here, Alpacas There by Carrie Tillotson
At the Pond by David Elliott
Baby Loves Meteorology by Ruth Spiro
Baker Makers by Kim Smith
Beauty and the Beaker by Sue Fliess
Born Inside a Nest So Small by Iza Trapani
Boxitects by Kim Smith
César's Cerulean Surprise by Jenny Lacika
Cicada Symphony by Sue Fliess
Counting Sea Life with the Little Seahorse by Sheri Fink, Derek Taylor Kent
Dancing Through Space: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights by Lydia Lukidis
Fraidyzoo by Thyra Heder
Glass Pyramid: A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I. M. Pei by Jeanne Walker Harvey
Hands-on Science: Geology by Lola M. Schaefer
How to Explain Climate Science to a Grown-Up by Ruth Spiro
I, Rock: A Geology Tale by Katie Silvensky
I'm Trying to Love Germs by Bethany Barton
In Praise of Mystery by Ada Limón
In the Desert by David Elliott
In the Woods by David Elliott
Janie Writes a Play: Jane Yolen's First Great Story by Heidi E. Y. Stemple
Leo + Lea by Monica Wesolowska
Life on Earth: Space by Heather Alexander
Living Bridges: The Hidden World of India's Woven Trees by Sandhya Acharya
Make Way for Animals! by Meeg Pincus
Neema's Reason to Smile by Patricia Newman
No es un perro by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez
Octopus Acrobatics by Sue Fliess
Poo Pile on the Prairie by Amy Hevron
Solitary Animals: Introverts of the Wild by Joshua David Stein
Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave by Drew Beckmeyer
Stretch to the Sun: From A Tiny Sprout to the Tallest Tree On Earth by Carrie A. Pearson
The Girl Who Built an Ocean by Jess Keating
Virginia Wouldn't Slow Down by Carrie A. Pearson
Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre
Welcome to Whalebone Mansion: Creatures That Lurk at a Whale Fall by Laken Slate
Who Meows? A Book of Animal Sounds by Robin Page
Whose Egg Is That? by Darrin P. Lunde
Wonderfully Wild: Rewilding a School and Community by Jessica Stremer
Guardians of the Picture Books
