Book Suggestions

Data & Science Related Books

Here is a running list of books that we have enjoyed and found useful. We share in case you are interested in checking them out as well. Enjoy!

Interested in supporting local bookstores while exploring these reads? Check out our book listings on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/dataspire. Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. Some books we cannot link on Bookshop.org so we have provided an Amazon link instead. Please note, that I am a Bookshop.org Affiliate and an Amazon Associate, and thus I earn from qualifying purchases.

Do you have a book you love, but don’t see it here? Let us know and we will check it out and add it to the list.

GRAPHING / DATA VISUALIZATION:

For young students:

• Picture Graphs, by Crystal Sikkens (*great for elementary levels) Blog review

• Bar Graphs, by Crystal Sikkens (*great for elementary levels) Blog review

• Barnaby Barchart's Beach Adventure: A Vizkidz Story, by LIV Buli and Mark Carey

• Penelope Pie's Pizza Party: A Vizkidz Story, by LIV Buli and Mark Carey

• Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping Skills, by Scot Ritchie

For teenagers and adults:

• Dear Data, by Giorgia Lupi & Stefanie Posavec (*fun exploration of different hand drawn graphs, how we visualize data, and the data all around us…great to generate ideas of opportunities for students) Blog review

• Observe, Collect, Draw!: A Visual Journal, by Stefanie Posavec and Giorgia Lupi

• Better Data Visualizations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks, by Jonathan Schwabish

• Effective Data Visualization: The Right Chart for the Right Data, by Stephanie DH Evergreen

• Data Visualisation: A Handbook for Data Driven Design, by Andy Kirk

• Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten, by Stephen Few

• Data Visualization: A Practical Introduction, by Kieran Healy

• Visualize This: The FlowingData Guide to Design, Visualization, and Statistics, by Nathan Yau

 

MAKING BETTER VISUALIZATIONS:

Ways that graphs go astray:

• How Charts Lie: Getting Smarter about Visual Information, by Alberto Cairo

• How to Lie with Maps, by Mark Monmonier

• The Truthful Art: Data, Charts, and Maps for Communication, by Alberto Cairo

Making your graphs better:

• Good Charts: The HBR Guide to Making Smarter, More Persuasive Data Visualizations, by Scott Berinato

• #Makeovermonday: Improving How We Visualize and Analyze Data, One Chart at a Time, by Andy Kriebel and Eva Murray

• The Wall Street Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos & Don’ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures, by Dona M Wong

 

DATA STORYTELLING / COMMUNICATION:

• Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals AND/OR Storytelling with Data: Let's Practice!, by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic

• Presenting Data Effectively: Communicating Your Findings for Maximum Impact, by Stephanie DH Evergreen (*great way to elevate your data visualizations and presentations with some easy steps) Blog review

• DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story, by Nancy Duarte

• Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World, by Jevin D. West and Carl T. Bergstrom

 

DATA LITERACY:

For students:

• Exemplary Evidence: Scientists and Their Data, by Jessica Fries-Gaither (rated grades 3-5, but I think can be enjoyed K-grey) Blog review

• Notable Notebooks: Scientists and Their Writings, by Jessica Fries-Gaither

• Never Stop Wondering, by Emily Morgan

Data Literacy…what is it?:

• Info We Trust: How to Inspire the World with Data, by RJ Andrews (*fun exploration of what data really are, how we make sense of data, and why data are so powerful) Blog review

• Data Literacy: A User's Guide, by David L. Herzog

• The Real Work of Data Science: Turning Data Into Information, Better Decisions, and Stronger Organizations, by Ron S. Kenett and Thomas C RedmanHow to Lie with Statistics, by Darrell Huff

Data Literacy…how to incorporate it in?:

• The Basics of Data Literacy: Helping Your Students (and you!) Make Sense of Data, by Michael Bowen and Anthony Bartley (*statistically-focused)

• Creating Data Literate Students, Ed. Kristin Fontichiaro, Jo Angela Oehrli, and Amy Lennex (*great exploration of different ways people are integrating data literacy into course work across disciplines) Blog review

• Data Literacy in the Real World: Conversations & Case Studies, Ed. Kristin Fontichiaro, Amy Lennex, Tyler Hoff, Kelly Hovinga, and Jo Angela Oehrli

• Big Data, Small Devices: Investigating the Natural World Using Real-Time Data, by Donna Governor, Michael Bown, and Eric Brunsell

• Application of Visual Data in K-16 Science Classrooms (edited volume)

• Data Information Literacy: Librarians, Data and the Education of a New Generation of Researchers, Ed. Jake Carlson and Lisa R. Johnston

 

STATISTICAL THINKING / STATISTICS:

For younger students:

• That's a Possibility!: A Book about What Might Happen, by Bruce Goldstone

For teenagers and adults:

• Naked Statistics, by Charles Wheelan (*great exploration of data and statistical thinking all around us) Blog review

• The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics, by Tim Harford

• Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain, by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt

• How to Lie with Statistics, by Darrell Huff and Irving Geis

 

PROCESS OF SCIENCE:

• Supporting Grade 5-8 Students in Constructing Explanations in Science: The Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning Framework for Talk and Writing, by Katherine L McNeill and Joseph S Krajcik

• Predict, Observe, Explain: Activities Enhancing Scientific Understanding, by John Haysom and Michael Bowen

• STEM Student Research Handbook, by Darci J Harland

• Whole-Class Inquiry: Creating Student-Centered Science Communities, by Dennis Smithenry and John Gallagher-Bolos

• Science Fair Warm-Up: Learning the Practice of Scientists Teacher Guide, by John Haysom

• The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas S Kuhn

 

ASSESSMENT DATA:

• Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning, Ed. Kathryn Parker Boudett, Elizabeth A City, and Richard J Murnane

• Data and Teaching: Moving Beyond Thinking to Effective Practice, by Joseph P McDonald, Nora M Isacoff, and Dana Karin

• Interpreting Assessment Data: Statistical Techniques You Can Use, by Edwin P Christmann and John L Badgett

• The Feedback Loop: Using Formative Assessment Data for Science Teaching and Learning, by Erin Marie Furtak, Howard M Glasser, and Zora M Wolfe

• Assessment Literacy: An Educator's Guide to Understanding Assessment, K-12, by Thomas DeVere Wolsey, Susan Lenski, and Dana L. Grisham

• Data Literacy for Educators: Making It Count in Teacher Preparation and Practice, by Ellen B Mandinach and Edith S Gummer (*great overview of the skills teachers need to make sense of student data) Blog review

• Seeing Students Learn Science: Integrating Assessment and Instruction in the Classroom, by Alexandra Beatty and Heidi Schweingruber

 

TEACHING PRACTICES:

• Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners, by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison

• Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work, by Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas W Many, and Mike Mattos

• How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures, by National Academies Press

• Unstoppable Learning: Seven Essential Elements to Unleash Student Potential, by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey

• Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas (All About LOGO - How It Was Invented and How It Works), by Seymour Papert