Nonfiction books wow with facts
Some young readers prefer reading real facts in their books; others learn a lot from exciting nonfiction tales. These books introduce youngsters to horses, elephants and 14 extraordinary young women.
Elephants need all the appreciation they can get. Who wouldn’t love a majestic creature with intricate family dynamics and an incredibly amazing lifestyle? Subtitled “Growing up in the African Wild,” Katherine Roy’s lush picture book introduces a newborn elephant that has to learn -- quickly -- how to walk and rumble and drink and dine. Roy does an amazing job portraying the precarious journey the baby takes on and provides detailed information on how her family assists so vitally. From how important a mother’s milk is to how the baby’s adult relatives’ voices can reveal her identity and emotional state, Roy’s incredible facts educate kids on the complicated yet naturally thrilling dynamics of an elephant herd. She researched “How to Be an Elephant” with a Kenyan expedition and upto-date scientific research. (She read 100 books on elephants!) Roy’s fantastic watercolors are a beautiful backdrop to such a treasure trove of truly fascinating information on one of nature’s most breathtaking and complicated species.
Seymour Simon is a prolific name in the world of children’s science education books. His nonfiction picture books are bold with up-close, vivid photographs and large, clear text on white backgrounds. With “Horses: All About Their Strength and Speed, Their Foals, Breeds and More!” Seymour updates his much-admired book with new science and photographs to show how beautiful, amazing horses have continued to play an essential role in the lives of humans.
Simon’s photo essay begins explaining the long, storied history about horses and presents a gorgeous photo of a horse galloping in front of a sunset, as well as a horse cave drawing.
Thirteen stellar women children’s book illustrators come together to create this artsy, inspiring, lovely collection of some of history’s most trailblazing young women, one as young as 6 years old. From 13-year-old Mary Anning, who unearthed an important prehistoric fossil, to 21-year-old Maya Lin, who designed a war memorial and then had to appear before Congress to defend her right to create it, Susan Hood’s inspirational poems are magnificent. Her encouragement to young girls to shake things up makes a super-smart gift for children. The artist contributors are stunning as well.