101 Great Books for Kids - 2023 Nonfiction Picture BooksLike this list

18 items

• An American Story

  Alexander, Kwame,

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  You can’t tell the story of America by just telling the comfortable parts. A look at early slavery in America and a consideration of what we teach our kids at school.

• The Book of Turtles

  Montgomery, Sy,

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  Think you know turtles? Think again! An up-close-and-personal deep dive into the species with all its weird and wonderful qualities. Best. Turtle. Book. Ever.

• Butt or Face?

  Can You Tell Which End You're Looking At?

  Lavelle, Kari,

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  Think you can tell a butt from a face? Test your skills against an array of insects, amphibians, birds and beasts. We bet at least one of them fools you!

• Dogs

  a History of Our Best Friends

  Judge, Lita,

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  Take a trip back in time to 50,000 years ago and follow the path of humanity’s best friend. From cleaning infectious wounds to clearing birds off of runways, this fact-filled readaloud is a perfect paean to one of our favorite animals.

• The Fire of Stars

  the Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made of

  Larson, Kirsten W.,

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  What burns at the heart of a star? The story of Cecilia Payne, ground-breaking scientist, is brought to life in this scintillating picture biography riddled with the mysteries of the universe.

• The Gentle Genius of Trees

  Bunting, Philip,

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  Trees give us so much here on earth but how much do we know about them? Take an irreverent trip into their communication, likes, dislikes, and more.

• Glitter Everywhere!

  Where It Came From, Where It's Found & Where It's Going

  Barton, Chris,

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  Do you love glitter? Hate it? Then this book is for you! Find out its history, its science, its importance, and what we can do to be more responsible with it so it won’t hurt the environment.

• The Green Piano

  How Little Me Found Music

  Flack, Roberta,

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  A five-time Grammy Award winner tells the story of how she came to love music and how her family got its very first piano. Loads of personality and fun infuse this delightful bio.

• Holding Her Own

  the Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes

  Todd, Traci N.,

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  The life of reporter, cartoonist, dollmaker, artist Jackie Ormes is brought to rip-roaring life in this fun and fantastic biography. Learn as much as you can about the first Black woman to become a nationally syndicated cartoonist!

• Ice Cream Man

  How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better

  Armand, Glenda,

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  Meet “the father of ice cream” who invented a method to make ice cream accessible to everyone, not just the rich. An inspiring biography of the entrepreneur behind everyone’s favorite summer treat.

• The Indestructible Tom Crean

  Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic

  Thermes, Jennifer,

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  Sail with explorer Tom Crean on the ships Discovery, Terra Nova, and Endurance and watch as the man not only manages to stay alive, but also saves the lives of his fellow crew time and again. A gripping, wonderful look at a heroic man.

• Jumper

  a Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider

  Lanan, Jessica,

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  What’s it like to be a spider in the grass? Enter the world of a jumping spider and experience the danger and excitement happening just under your nose.

• Not a Monster

  Martinez, Claudia Guadalupe, 1978-

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  Adorable, engaging, and informative! With simple text, meet the axolotl, learn about its Aztec origin myth, and see the way pollution is affecting its natural habitat.

• One Tiny Treefrog

  a Countdown to Survival

  Piedra, Tony,

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  “Ten tiny tadpoles grow in their eggs.” Count down as each tadpole falls prey to hungry nature in this eye-opening look at not just treefrogs but survival of the fittest as well.

• Ready, Set, Run!

  the Amazing New York City Marathon

  Kimmelman, Leslie,

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  What’s it like to run in a real marathon? Stretch, get a good night’s sleep, and join the 50,000+ runners for a fun look at this amazing race!

• Stranded!

  a Mostly True Story From Iceland

  Ævar Þór Benediktsson, 1984-

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  Almost all the facts in this book are true. Can you find the single lie? When the author’s grandfather got stranded on an active volcanic island with his friend their survival was NOT guaranteed. An unexpectedly hilarious and harrowing tale.

• There Was a Party for Langston

  Reynolds, Jason,

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  “There was a party for Langston at the library.” Lanston Hughes, that is. A marvelous recounting of one man’s legacy and a vibrant visual praise of Black American writers. This text sings.

• Tomfoolery!

  Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-age of Children's Books

  Markel, Michelle,

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  Meet Randolph Caldecott! The children’s book illustrator unafraid to put fun, action, and loads of animals on the page. A marvelous look at the artist our picture books owe so much to today.