Get ready for the solar eclipse with these read alouds! I’ve got some amazing solar eclipse books for kids that will spark your students’ curiosity about this celestial event. These books will introduce your students to the science behind eclipses, different types of eclipses, and the awe-inspiring experience of witnessing this natural phenomenon.
So, grab your solar eclipse glasses (safely!), cuddle up with your students, and get ready to blast off on a learning adventure about the majesty of the night sky!
I’m sharing all of these books on video as well! Check out the Solar Eclipse Children’s Books on my Youtube channel.
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
Solar Eclipse Books for Kids
A Few Beautiful Minutes by Kate Allen Fox
A poetic book about the solar eclipse and the magic of being together, seen through the eyes of a child.
What happens during a solar eclipse? The sun vanishes. Light becomes dark. Day animals sleep, and night animals wake. The moon takes over the sky. People stop what they’re doing and together, they look up. The whole world changes for a few beautiful minutes.
A Few Beautiful Minutes encourages young readers to (safely) learn about each stage of a solar eclipse, and how this phenomenon can connect us to one another.
Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story by Jayme Sandberg
Through a tale of celestial friendship, Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story explores a total solar eclipse and the unexpected ways we shine together.
Sun is seriously out of sorts about the upcoming total solar eclipse. Will Earthlings go blind watching it? What will they think when Sun’s dependable light suddenly vanishes in the middle of the day? How could Moon betray their stellar friendship?
When totality finally arrives and Moon completely hides our brightest star from millions of Earthlings in its shadow, no one is more surprised than Sun to find Moon helped it shine in a totally different way.
Eclipse by Andy Rash
After hearing about the total solar eclipse happening in two months, a boy makes a plan with his father to go see it. They drive to the perfect campsite, not wanting to miss the couple of minutes when the sun will be completely hidden by the moon. When the moment happens, being together makes it even more special.
Based on a trip that author-illustrator Andy Rash took with his son to see the eclipse in August 2017, Eclipse is about seeking out adventures and savoring the special moments with the people you love.
Back matter about eclipses and maps of eclipses’ paths across the United States make this book perfect for the STEAM curriculum.
Eclipse: How the 1919 Solar Eclipse Proved Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity by Darcy Pattison
How do you prove an impossible idea? With courage, perseverance, and a lot of luck!
In 1915, British astronomer Arthur Stanley Eddington was fascinated with Einstein’s new theory of general relativity. The theory talks about how forces push and pull objects in space. Einstein said that the sun’s gravity could pull and bend light. It seemed like a crazy idea. Could his theory be proven?
To test this, astronomers decided to photograph a solar eclipse. The eclipse would allow them to photograph the stars before and during the solar eclipse. If the star’s position moved, then it was evidence that that light had bent. Eddington and his team traveled from England to the island of Principe, just off the African coast, to photograph the eclipse.
This nonfiction illustrated picture book explains how the push (acceleration) and pull (gravity) of space affects light.
Back matter includes information on Einstein, Eddington, and the original photograph of the 1919 solar eclipse.
When the Sky Glows by Nell Cross Beckerman
Uncover the science behind the beautiful and vast array of natural events that make the sky glow all over the world in this enlightening nonfiction picture book.
Sunrises and lightning storms, rainbows and volcanoes, meteors and eclipses—these beautiful, awe-inspiring events that light up the sky might seem like magic. But there is a fascinating scientific explanation for each.
What is a Solar Eclipse? by Dana Rau
This book explains how to safely observe solar eclipses, how long eclipses last, and why they result in a blackout period during the day. Young astronomers and astronauts will be inspired by the wonders of outer space and what exists beyond our atmosphere as they learn more about the moon, the sun, and our earth. What really happens during a solar eclipse and how does it affect the energy in our atmosphere?
Magical and Unusual Solar Eclipse by Silvia Piccinotti
Learn when and how to observe various intriguing phenomena during the eclipse, from pinhole projections of the partially eclipsed sun, changes in light and temperature, to the mesmerizing shadow bands. Discover more about solar eclipses and how to chase them in the accompanying backmatter.
Magical and Unusual Solar Eclipse ensures that children and adults alike can enjoy the experience safely and enhance their understanding of a total solar eclipse. Ideal as a classroom resource, it transforms the anticipation of a total solar eclipse into an educational and inclusive adventure.
Eclipse: Our Sky’s Most Dazzling Phenomenon by Kelsey Oseio
In Eclipse, we explore the science and mystique of lunar and solar eclipses, from the myths of our ancestors to today. Did you know that in Chinese legends, solar eclipses were caused by dragons eating the sun? Or that the Norse people believed that a sky wolf chased away the moon? These rich historical stories are shared alongside informative, accessible science to enrich your understanding of a solar eclipse.
When the Sun Goes Dark by Andrew Fraknoi
This book tells how two curious children and their grandparents re-create eclipses in their living room using a lamp, a tennis ball, two Hula Hoops, and Ping-Pong balls. Later, in the backyard and around the house, the family explores safe ways to view a solar eclipse and ponders phenomena from sunspots to phases of the Moon.
Solar Science, When the Sun Goes Dark gives children and adults hands-on techniques for learning the science behind eclipses of the Sun and Moon.
Eclipses by Nick Hunter
This book looks at solar and lunar eclipses, providing background information about the Sun, the Moon and our planet. The book covers what an eclipse is, what eclipses can look like, how they happen, the effects on wildlife, what people thought of eclipses in the past, how they are studied today, and about eclipses on other planets. A fun activity is provided along with advice on viewing eclipses.
Listen on the Podcast
Save this List of Solar Eclipse Books for Kids
Be sure to save this pin to your favorite read alouds board on Pinterest! You’ll be able to come back to these solar eclipse books for kids when you are ready to read them aloud with your students.
