Science popularization picture books serve a critical function in science popularization，educational outreach，and cultural exchange，yet their developmental pathways and expressive forms exhibit marked variations across diverse cultural contexts. Employing a comparative research methodology，this study comprehensively examines the developmental characteristics of science popularization picture books in China and the West across six dimensions: historical development，artistic style，thematic evolution，classification systems，creative communities，and societal impact. The study reveals that western science popularization picture books，emerging from the Enlightenment era，have progressively developed a diversified expressive approach and a robust market ecosystem through profound integration of scientific and artistic elements，with a pronounced emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and global knowledge exchange. Throughout China’s modernization process，science popularization picture books have cultivated distinctive cultural attributes，constructing a developmental trajectory uniquely rooted in the synthesis of indigenous cultural elements and contemporary scientific insights. Drawing from these findings，the study recommends that future Chinese science popularization picture books should be based on maintaining cultural self-confidence to reinforce interdisciplinary collaboration，accelerate the development of comprehensive classification standards，leverage digital technological innovations，and strategically interweave local cultural narratives with global thematic concerns to amplify international resonance.