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Young readers often find nonfiction books as fascinating as storybooks, and a growing crop of quality nonfiction picture books allows children a range of informational reading choices from a very early age. This Showcase features nonfiction picture book titles that help children have fun while learning about a wide variety of subjects.
Note: Showcase titles are selected by the books' publishers, who provide cover art, interior art, and descriptive information.
ABC All-American Riddles by Mara and Ford Smith, illustrated by Jennifer Johnson Haywood. Ages 8-12. Engaging riddles in rhyme for each letter of the alphabet challenge young readers to make connections with American culture and history—and they're fun! (Peel Productions)
ABC Math Riddles by Jannelle Martin, illustrated by Freddie Levin. Ages 8-12. Engaging riddles in rhyme for each letter of the alphabet challenge young readers to match letters and sounds, think logically, and expand their knowledge of math-and they're fun! (Peel Productions)
The Amazing Mr. Franklin: Or the Boy Who Read Everything by Ruth Ashby, illustrated by Michael Montgomery. Ages 7-10. Benjamin Franklin: statesman, inventor, and signer of the Declaration of
Independence, he also founded the first library in America for the public good. (Peachtree Publishers)
Arrowhawk by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska. Ages 4-8. The story of an injured red-tailed hawk's survival and freedom. (Henry Holt BFYR)
Calavera Abecedario by Jeanette Winter. Ages 3-7. ABC book inspired by a real Mexican family of artists and the many colorful folk-art traditions surrounding the celebration of the Day of the Dead. (Harcourt Children's Books)
Don't Know Much About the Solar System by Kenneth C. Davis, illustrated by Pedro Martin. Ages 6-9. The latest in Kenneth Davis's DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT children's book series, this time filled with facts and riddles about the wonders of the solar system. (HarperTrophy)
Forest Explorer: A Life-Size Field Guide by Nic Bishop. Ages 5 and up. Discover how the forest's tiniest creatures thrive and survive in a dramatic follow-up to the award-winning Backyard Detective. (Scholastic Press)
Frog Hunt by Sandra Jordan. Ages 3-7. In the passing of a perfect summer day, a group of children discover all sorts of life in a freshwater pond. Handsome hand-tinted photographs by an acclaimed author and photographer illustrate this story of discovery. (Roaring Brook Press)
From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer, illustrated by James Graham Hale. Ages 3-6. Perfect for Halloween, a brand new title in the Let's Read and Find Out Science series, an ALA Booklist Top-Ten Nonfiction Series. (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Garden of the Spirit Bear by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent. Ages 7-10. Noted natural history writer Dorothy Patent offers a striking look at a unique animal and its disappearing ecosystem. (Clarion Books)
George vs. George by Rosalyn Schanzer. Ages 9 to 14. From the author of How We Crossed the West comes a unique approach to the story of the American Revolution. Primary source quotes and humorous illustrations weave the tale around two similar leaders—George Washington and King George III. (National Geographic Children's Books)
A Goose Named Gilligan by Jerry M. Hay, illustrated by Phyllis Pollema-Cahill. Ages 3-10. A Goose Named Gilligan is the true story of a beautiful, untamed river, a man who cherishes it, and a most extraordinary goose. (HJ Kramer/Starseed Press)
Hard Hat Area by Susan L. Roth. Ages 5 and up. An exciting look at a construction site showing what tools the workers use, how they use them, and how they work as a team. (Bloomsbury Children's Books)
How Animals Live: The Amazing World of Animals in the Wild by Bernard Stonehouse and Esther Bertram, illustrated by John Francis. Ages 10-12. Explore the extraordinary ways animals really live in the wild. The authors share with readers their amazement at the immense variety of animal life. (Scholastic Reference)
I Face the Wind by Vicki Cobb, illustrated by Julia Gorton. Ages 3-5. Simple science experiments and clear explanations for young kids are at the core of the new Science Play series from Vicki Cobb. (HarperCollins Children's Books)
If My Mom Were A Platypus: Animal Babies and Their Mothers by Dia L. Michels, illustrated by Andrew Barthelmes. Ages 8-12. From the ordinary to the most unusual, If My Mom Were A Platypus captures the excitement of a baby mammal's everyday life. (Platypus Media)
Langston's Train Ride by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins. Ages 4-8. Robert Burleigh's inspiring story captures the magical moment when Langston Hughes came to believe in himself as a writer, as he first wrote "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." (Orchard Books)
The Living Rain Forest by Paul Kratter. All ages. A gift for the whole family. This delicate ecosystem is brought to life with magnificent illustrations of rain forest creatures and their
habitat. "[E]xquisite, photorealistic paintings of rain forest animals are organized in an A-Z format and accompanied by age-appropriate animal facts." —Book Links (Charlesbridge)
Look What I See! Where Can I Be? At the Synagogue by Dia L. Michels, photographs by Michael J. N. Bowles. Ages 0-5. Celebrate Jewish Family Life with Baby! (Platypus Media)
Look What I See! Where Can I Be? Visiting China by Dia L. Michels, photographs by Michael J. N. Bowles. Ages 0-5. Baby's on the Go—and China is the show! (Platypus Media)
Mack Made Movies by Don Brown. Ages 5-9. Acclaimed author/illustrator Don Brown tells the story of the American movie genius Mack Sennett, from his beginnings as a Vaudeville actor to triumph as the "King of Comedy." (Roaring Brook Press)
Mighty Maddie by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by Bernice Lum. Ages 3 and up. Mighty Maddie is one of three new MathStart titles this Fall. There are now fifty-five titles in the MathStart program, an ALA Booklist Top-Ten Nonfiction Series. (HarperCollins Children's Books)
My Light by Molly Bang. Ages 4 and up. This brilliant new picture book uses simple, poetic language and radiant images to celebrate the many wonders of the sun's energy and its many transformations on Earth. (Blue Sky Press)
National Geographic Prehistoric Mammals by Alan Turner, illustrated by Mauricio Antón. Ages 8 and up. Readers take a prehistoric journey through time to visit some of the most amazing creatures that ever walked the Earth. Inside are saber-toothed cats, giant kangaroos, mastodons, and much more. (National Geographic Children's Books)
O, Say Can You See? America's Symbols, Landmarks, and Inspiring Words by Sheila Keenan, illustrated by Ann Boyajian. Ages 4-8. Dramatic storytelling and lighthearted illustrations give children historical background and highlight the creation of our nation's most important symbols, landmarks, and documents. (Scholastic Nonfiction)
Pterosaurs: Rulers of the Sky in the Dinosaur Age by Caroline Arnold. Ages 8-11. Take an eye-opening look at an amazing group of prehistoric animals and discover what the world was like when these incredible creatures ruled the skies. (Clarion Books)
Pupniks: The Story of Two Space Dogs by Ruth Lubka. Ages 5-8. The story of two dogs who orbited Earth and lived to bark about it. (Marshall Cavendish)
Rock of Ages by Tonya Bolden, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Ages 5-8. A moving tribute to the America's Black Churches illustrated by a two-time Coretta Scott King Honor Award Winner—now in paperback! (Random House Children's Books)
The Sea, the Storm, and the Mangrove Tangle by Lynne Cherry. Ages 6 and up. A look into a unique ecosystem, one that is endangered in many places. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Secrets of the Sphinx by James Cross Giblin, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Ages 9-12. Sibert Medal winner James Cross Giblin has written a stunning exploration of one of history's most mysterious structures. (Scholastic Press)
Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. Ages 4-8. Buddy Bear and his mother learn all about how seeds germinate and grow. (Marshall Cavendish)
Smudge Bunny by Dr. Bernie Siegel, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. Ages 3 and up. By Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles, comes the heartwarming story of a lost rabbit's journey home. (HJ Kramer/Starseed Press)
Speedy Facts: You're Tall in the Morning But Shorter At Night and Other Amazing Facts About the Human Body by Melvin and Gilda Berger. Ages 7 and up. The new Speedy Facts series invites readers to look closely at the world around them and provides the right level of key facts and helpful information. (Scholastic Reference)
Thanksgiving Is . . . by Gail Gibbons. Ages 4-8. Thanksgiving is... turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and parades. Most of all it's a time to give thanks for many blessings. (Holiday House)
Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation by Diane Stanley, illustrated by Holly Berry. Ages 5-10. Join the Time Traveling Twins as they travel back to Plymouth Plantation in 1621 and find out what it was really like to be a Pilgrim. (Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins)
Thank You Very Much, Captain Ericsson! by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge. Ages 4-8. The story of the vibrant, Swedish-born engineer and inventor Captain John Ericsson, told with light-hearted humor. (Holiday House)
The Train of States by Peter Sís. Ages 6 and up. The fifty states—each represented by a car in a traveling circus train—are the stars of this tour de force by honored artist Peter Sís. (Greenwillow)
Twice as Nice: What It's Like to Be a Twin by Nicole Rubel. With multiple births on the rise (approximately one in every sixty-six births in the United States), discover the inside story of twin-ship in this fun-filled yet factual picture book. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Wackiest White House Pets by Gibbs Davis, illustrated by David A. Johnson. Ages 7-10. Meet some of the White House's wackiest residents-just in time for the 2004 presidential election! (Scholastic Press)
Walt Whitman: Words for America by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Brian Selzick. Ages 7-10. The pioneering team that brought you the Caldecott Honor-winning The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins turns their attention to Walt Whitman—poet, American, and Civil War hero. (Scholastic Press)
Who Has a Belly Button? by Mary Batten, illustrated by Higgins Bond. Ages 6-10. Why humans have belly buttons is the subject of this informative look at the lifeline that attaches mammals to their mothers before birth. (Peachtree Publishers)
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Showcase Archives
Black History Month 2005
Holidays Around the World 2004
Nonfiction Picture Books
Myth and Magic/Fantasy for Young Readers
Rites of Passage
In the Kitchen
Holidays Around the World 2003
Wonders of the Heavens/Books about Space
Summer Reading
Friends in the Animal Kingdom
Children's Poetry 2003
Learning about Families
Art, Artists and the Worlds They Create
Back to School
Exploring the Natural World: Ecology and the Environment
Spanish Cultural Heritage
Children's Poetry 2002
Historical Fiction for Young Readers
Holidays around the World 2001
Children's Creepshow
Worlds of Belief
Heroes, Dragons, and Wizards
Children's Poetry 2001
Helping Children Cope
Holidays Around the World 2000
Gothic Tales for Children
International Folktales
Summertime Reading
Children's Poetry 2000
Multicultural Books
Holiday Books 1999
Mysteries
Humorous Titles
Poetry Titles
Math and Counting
Folk and Fairytales
Biographies
Paranormal Phenomena
Summertime Reading 1998
Historical Fiction Titles
Holiday Titles (Christmas, Chanukkah, and Kwanza)
The African-American Experience
Books on Friendship
Nature and Science
My First Book
Fantasy/Science Fiction
Paper-Engineered Books
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