Nonfiction picture books are an excellent way to teach children about the world around them and these new 2024 releases are truly exceptional. From remarkable animals to inspiring biographies to fascinating facts about superstitions from around the world, there are a lot of interesting topics covered in an engaging and educational way.
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Poetry Comics by Grant Snider
There is so much to love about this amazing book filled with seasonal poems! The graphic-style illustrations are perfect for grabbing kids’ attention while the poems themselves expertly highlight small, relatable moments. From cloud spotting on a sunny day to waiting for a late bus in the rain to philosophical musings about growing up, each poem is entertaining and thought provoking.
Sleepy: Surprising Ways Animals Snooze by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Robin Page, 2024
(Ages 3 and up)
This clever book uses short rhyming poems and beautiful illustrations to teach readers about fascinating sleep patterns and habits of animals. Curious kids will appreciate the supplemental paragraphs providing further detail and the backmatter including descriptions of various types of sleep.
Butt or Face? Revenge of the Butts by Kari Lavelle, 2024
Children will never look at animals the same after reading this hilarious book that is filled with fascinating facts. Readers are invited to guess if a photograph of an animal is featuring its butt or face. When they flip the page, they find the answer along with entertaining fun facts. My 8-year-old literally ran up and hugged me when I showed her this book. My kids loved the first one so much, they couldn’t wait to dive into the sequel and it did not disappoint.
Octopus Acrobatics by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Gareth Lucas, 2024
(Ages 3 and up)
You will never look at an octopus the same after reading this dazzling book describing these masters of disguise. From their incredible intellect to their bendy bodies there is a lot to learn.
Flowing rhyming couplets paired with mesmerizing illustrations, makes this an excellent choice for reading aloud. Additional facts are included for inquisitive readers who want to know more about these intriguing ocean dwellers.
You Stole My Name Too by Dennis McGregor, 2024
Prepare to feast your eyes on this absolutely gorgeous gem that introduces children to animals and plants with combined shared names. From crabapples to catnip, a myriad of familiar and unfamiliar flora and fauna are shared with readers through clever poems and stunning artwork. We also love the first book You Stole My Name.
Flamingos Are Pretty Funky by Abi Cushman, 2024
(Ages 4 and up)
This fabulous follow-up to WOMBATS ARE PRETTY WEIRD introduces readers to the six sensational species of flamingos. Using comical speech bubbles and informative break-out-boxes paired with humorous illustrations, the book shares a wide variety of facts about flamingos. This fantastic book is further enhanced with photographs and a glossary.
Log Life by Amy Hevron, 2024
(Ages 3 and up)
This book provides a captivating exploration of a nurse log habitat, which, despite its small size, hosts hundreds of different life forms. Through charming illustrations and child-friendly language with amusing speech bubbles, the story shares the impressive transformation of the log over 1000 years. This is a great choice for early science units.
What’s Inside a Bird’s Nest: And Other Questions About Nature & Life Cycles by Rachel Ignotofsky, 2024
(Ages 4 and up)
I continue to be amazed by Rachel Ignotofsky’s stunning and informative books that ignite children’s curiosities and teach readers about the world around them. Her newest gem showcases the amazing life cycle and habits of birds. From different types of nests to bird anatomy, to migration, a ton of fascinating facts are shared in an engaging way.
Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough by Haley Rocco and John Rocco, 2024
(Ages 4 and up)
This beautiful picture book biography chronicles the life of David Attenborough, a naturalist who transported people around the world with his television shows sharing exotic places and animals. When he noticed the negative impact humans were having on the planet, he created a new show demonstrating environmental problems and how we can solve them. Helpful backmatter provides additional information on David and what we can do to help protect our planet.
Gifts From Georgia’s Garden: How Georgia O’Keeffe Nourished Her Art by Lisa Robinson, illustrated by Hadley Hooper, 2024
With themes of sustainable gardening and following one’s passion, this beautiful picture-book biography about influential female artist Georgia O’Keefe is an excellent choice for Women’s History Month, Earth Day, and for anyone who enjoys a good story!
This wonderful picture book biography shares how Georgia O’Keefe found fame through capturing the beauty of flowers and nature in her art. She abandoned life in the city to pursue her love of the wilderness and live off the land in New Mexico. It was in this desert that she grew a garden that not only nourished her body, but her imaginative art as well. This lovely story uses luscious artwork to highlight Georgia’s love of nature and her dedication to live an environmentally friendly life by shopping locally, working closely with her community, and creating a sustainable garden that still thrives today!
This is Not My Lunch Box by Jennifer Dupuis, illustrated by Carol Schwartz
After being presented with various meals, readers are invited to guess which animal would eat such a lunch. The guessing element is so much fun, this would make an excellent read aloud for classrooms.
The Secret Life of Bugs by Moira Butterfield, illustrated by Vivian Mineker, 2024
(Ages 4 and up)
Luna the ladybug takes readers on an informative journey learning about insects through fun facts, helpful diagrams, and folk stories from around the world. Packed with incredible information, this is a great one to revisit multiple times.
The Girl Who Figured It Out by Minda Dentler, illustrated by Stephanie Dehennin, 2024
This picture book biography about Minda Dentler shares her incredible story of overcoming polio to become the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship.
Take a Hike: Nature Trail Activity Journal by Cottage Door Press, 2024
(Ages 4 and up)
As the weather gets nicer, kids (and adults) may be looking to explore the outdoors and this activity journal is the perfect companion. It has tons of information about different types of trails, how to hike safely, and plants, animals, and insects that might be encountered. Throughout the book are invitations to draw what children see while exploring, to check off items from a nature scavenger hunt, and to reflect on their adventures.
T is for Trails: A Hiking Alphabet by Judy Young, illustrated by Sharisse Steber, 2024
Flowing rhymes describe attributes of hiking trails and how to safely explore them in this exquisite A-Z guide. I love how this book uses short rhymes to introduce elements of hiking, but also includes a plethora of additional information for those who want to dive deeper into this subject.
Brave Baby Hummingbird by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Tiffany Bozic, 2024
(Ages 4 and up)
This narrative nonfiction follows a baby hummingbird through infancy into adulthood as he bravely faces the unknown searching for food, a home, and a mate. Rich, detailed illustrations fill the pages of this striking story that is as informative as it is beautiful. Inspired by her own experience finding hummingbirds, the author includes additional facts on how children can help hummingbirds, too.
Mushrooms Know: Wisdom From Our Fungi Friends by Kallie George, illustrated Sara Gillingham
Adorned with pops on neon, this fascinating look at fungi is interesting, educational and inspiring. I just love how it provides life advice connected with fun facts about mushrooms.
Rewild the World at Bedtime: Hopeful Stories by Mother Nature by Emily Hawkins, illustrated by Ella Beech
(Ages 5 and up)
Oh my goodness, I love how hopeful and educational this optimistic book is. Told in 20 short stories (only a couple pages each), this book shares the true tales of people helping to “rewild” our planet by restoring “the rich diversity of the natural world.” The stories each take place in a different location throughout the globe and share powerful stories of helping plants and wildlife thrive.
The Good Luck Book: A Celebration of Global Traditions, Superstitions, and Folklore by Heather Alexander, 2023
This is a fascinating look at superstitions from around the world. Filled with captivating facts about superstitions focusing on animals, foods, the human body, and the natural world, there is a ton to take away from this mesmerizing book. With its table of contents and index, it is easy to look up a particular superstition or simply browse and soak up all the interesting info of global good and bad luck theories. We particularly loved learning about the different superstitions held by many famous athletes.
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