Best Children's Nonfiction Transportation
It’s a monster truck! Susan E. Goodman has written numerous works of historical fiction and nonfiction for kids, including the Ultimate Field Trip series and beginning readers such as the Step into Reading titles Motorcycles!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He was super excited about learning to read this book because there were monster trucks!"
"Grandson loves monster trucks."
"My grandson loves Monster trucks, and was a nice Christmas present for him, he likes the pict."
"My Nephew is crazy about monster trucks, he lives in India and you do not find books on monster truck."
"My son (3) loves monster trucks."
"This is probably my problem....I bought it for my 5 year old grandson and found it way more advanced than expected."
2 Dove
In 1965, 16-year-old Robin Lee Graham began a solo around-the-world voyage from San Pedro, California, in a 24-foot sloop. --. -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Filled with a youthful philosophy about life and love and high adventure."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I enjoyed it from the perspective of a young person who, initially discarded God, but found Him in the people, the islands, the wildlife and even in a lonely sea."
"It's been over 20 years since I last read Robin Graham's Dove, and it was just as good and entertaining this time around as last."
"Would have enjoyed some illustrations / maps inline of locations visited but google maps backfilled side by side."
"Great book."
"A great read from the first page to the last."
"I read about Robin Lee Graham as an envious teenager when his story was being told in National Geographic almost 45 years ago."
"Love this book!"
"The book demonstrated that all lone sailors need help and support."
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, officially bringing the United States into World War II. ( School Library Journal ) Nathan Hale is the #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very fun presentation of serious history."
"Excellent resource that draws the reader in with humor, important facts and detailed cartoons."
"Grandson has enjoyed this book and others from the series."
"My Son loves Nathan Hale's books."
"My kids read these books over and over again."
"We love all of the Nathan’s Hale’s Hazardous Tale books and this newest installment is no exception."
Best Children's Aviation Books
New York Times Bestseller Rosie may seem quiet during the day, but at night she’s a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets who dreams of becoming a great engineer. When her great-great-aunt Rose (Rosie the Riveter) comes for a visit and mentions her one unfinished goal—to fly—Rosie sets to work building a contraption to make her aunt’s dream come true. From the powerhouse author-illustrator team of Iggy Peck, Architect comes Rosie Revere, Engineer , another charming, witty picture book about believing in yourself and pursuing your passion. But when Great-Great Aunt Rose shows up for an extended stay sporting a red polka-dotted scarf à la Rosie the Riveter, she regales her niece with stories of her experiences building airplanes during World War II. She wistfully declares, “The only thrill left on my list is to fly!/But time never lingers as long as it seems./I'll chalk that one up to an old lady's dreams.” This is an itch that Rosie has to scratch, so she sets about designing a unique contraption to help her aunt take to the skies. The rhyming text may take a few practice shots before an oral reading just to get the rhythm right, but the story will no doubt inspire conversations with children about the benefits of failure and the pursuit of dreams.–Maggie Chase, Boise State University, IDα(c) Copyright 2013.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"With an engaging story that kept her attention and illustrations you could look at over and over again, I found myself reading with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as Rosie battled her fear of failure to do great great things."
"She had fears, had setbacks, lost confidence for awhile, until someone showed her that even her so called “failures” are just opportunities to learn and do things better the next time."
"Rosie the Riveter, the original female who can get the job done and smash gender stereotype is re-introduced in a younger version of a science savvy girl who is equipped to deliver what is needed in today's world."
"And it was worth the wait- she loves this book and the others by Andrea Beaty."
"I bought this for my three year old girls and at first they weren't super interested, but they recently really took notice of all of the neat little details in the book illustrations."
"My 5 year old wants to be an aerospace engineer, so I am always looking for fun little ways to encourage his passion."
"My little girl loves that the little blond looks like her and we talk about the message of the book each time we read it."
"Such a good lesson for all kids, but especially young girls, and I love that it encourages interest in science and math."
Best Children's Heavy Machinery Books
Famously packed with information on the inner workings of everything from windmills to Wi-Fi, this extraordinary and humorous book both guides readers through the fundamental principles of machines, and shows how the developments of the past are building the world of tomorrow. Parking meters and meat grinders, jumbo jets and jackhammers, remote control and rockets, electric guitars and egg beaters? "Things," both in the real world and in this book, have changed. VERDICT A delightful choice for browsing and reference.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Amazon Best Children’s Books of the Year: NonFiction San Francisco Chronicle Best of 2016 New York Times Bestseller "... long-awaited update to one of the more original books ever printed." The author is honest enough to say that the book was intended for children of all ages, and brilliant enough to make all its readers feel brighter than they ever thought they could be.”— The New York Times “ The Way Things Work is not the only book that has tried to explain modern mysteries, but it's the best. It justifies every critic's belief that information and entertainment are not mutually exclusive - good nonfiction is storytelling at its best.” — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books , starred review. “Combining the tongue-in-cheek observations of a budding prehistoric engineer with acute descriptions of the functioning of mechanical and electrical machines, Macaulay has produced a superb volume.”— The Horn Book, starred review. “A book to be treasured as both a browsing item and as a gold mine of reference information.”— School Library Journal , starred review.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm unusually attached to this book: I laid my hands on the earlier edition as a very young child, and it probably shaped my interests more than anything else - ultimately setting me on a very interesting and rewarding life path."
"I bought this for a 13 year old for christmas."
"This book was tailor made for our young grandson who is very smart!"
"But, we spent quite a bit of time covering simpler topics such as gears and pulleys."
"My 10 Year old friend, Loves the book, so I would say the book is an excellent one."
"I'll admit, we've been carefully enjoying it (ourselves) before we gift wrap it - hahaha!!"
"I love that it gives stories with the information."
"Great book."
Best Children's Exploration History
“Much like The Boy In the Striped Pajamas or The Book Thief ,” this remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list, “brings to readers a story of bravery and the fight for a chance to live” ( VOYA ). Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2013: For readers ages 11 and up, Leon Leyson’s remarkable memoir, The Boy on the Wooden Box , is the moving account of a happy childhood shattered by the Holocaust. As the youngest member of Schindler’s list, Leyson offers a unique perspective on the man who became his lifelong hero and his first-hand account of day-to-day existence in the factory--which did not alleviate the fear or deprivation--and his personal interaction with Schindler is powerful and special.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I would recommend this book to anyone especially to those who think they have life so tough."
"Amazing story that should never be forgotten."
"A great book, everyone should read."
"This is a sad story of how so many people have no value of a life."
"Great read."
"So sad what happened and although we have read about it before, from so many stories and movies, this book had a different view."
"The Boy in The Wooden Box was a great book, it was hard to put down."
"I have read many books about the Holocaust as well as seen many movies on the subject."
Best Children's Motorcycles Books
Draw 50 Cars, Trucks, and Motorcycles shows artists of all levels how to draw with ease by following simple step-by-step examples. An avid worker, Ames directed his own advertising agency, illustrated for several magazines, and illustrated approximately 150 books that range from picture books to postgraduate texts.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great book to teach you how to draw cars, trucks and motorcycles."
"Think I will be able to draw and teach my greandson to draw from these books."
"We bought a few for him (monsters, cars and animals) and some are a little more complicating for him but he loves it and started on them right away."
"My grandson loves this art series."
"This is a great book for kids learning to draw!"
"Bought several of this series of drawing books, All were well received as Christmas gifts."
"Much harder to understand than it says, bought for a 10 year old, and he can't figure it out."
Best Children's Nonfiction Math Books
Linking to a popular feature in the super successful National Geographic Little Kids magazine, this book brings the browsable fun of the bestselling National Geographic Kids Almanac to a new audience: preschoolers! She has written several popular titles, including Little Kids First Big Book of Why and numerous installments for the National Geographic Readers series.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of the reviews said it has misinformation because it classifies humans as "carnivores", but some recent studie shave classified humans as such "based on the percentage of meat in the typical human diet". See: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/20/150817741/for-most-of-human-history-being-an-omnivore-was-no-dilemma. Another negative review said the information is shallow and gave this example: "Some question do not even have answers like this one, 'why some animals are big and some are smalls?'. Why are some animals big and others small?"
"I bought this book and a few others that were similar for my kids (Ages 6 and 12) for Christmas."
"This is one of the best books I've purchased!"
"This was a great book to give my curious 4 year old."
"I bought this for my 4 year old for Christmas and it was a quick favorite."
"I bought this book for my 6 year old daughter."
"A little discombobulated format wise, but the subject matter stimulates valuable discussion between parent and child."
"Not exactly what I expected."
Best Children's Nonfiction Nature Books
In Njau, Gambia, people simply dropped the bags and went on their way. The bags accumulated in ugly heaps alongside roads. This inspirational true story shows how one person's actions really can make a difference in our world. As a girl, Ceesay realized that the goats on which her village relied were dying because they were eating plastic bags. She also saw that people were tossing the used bags on the ground just as they had always thrown away their baskets when no longer useful—except the plastic bags, unlike the baskets, weren't biodegradable. An inspiring account.—Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, TX "The simple format of this picture book belies the strength of its content, a story lovingly supported by charming collage illustrations.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This books transcends age and gender and race, it will appeal to any audience, and can be used with young children to teach them early the importance of recylcling and protecting our environment everywhere."
"Elizabeth Zunon's vibrant illustrations depict the amazing transformation made by one woman's mission to save her village."
"Peggy is the one that started the women's group that this book is written about."
"I've found that the story is engaging for a wide range of students (1-8 so far, have not read it to high schoolers yet) and the illustrations are bright and colorful for little ones as well."
"Great book to get kids, and their adults, thinking of the consequences of garbage vs reusing and recycling."
"I loved this story so much I bought it as a Christmas present for a child."
"beautiful story!"
Best Children's Nonfiction Health Books
What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. Grade 5 Up—When she was in sixth grade, Telgemeier tripped while running and lost her two front teeth. The dental case that Telgemeier documents in this graphic memoir was extreme: a random accident led to front tooth loss when she was 12, and over the next several years, she suffered through surgery, implants, headgear, false teeth, and a rearrangement of her remaining incisors.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What I liked about this book is that is a comic,well not necessarily a comic, but more like a graphic novel."
"I am in middle school and this book made me feel special that I was strong."
"Great story!"
"My 10 year old daughter loved this book--it encouraged her to love reading."
"This book is excellent."
"She's read "Drama" about six times now, and is once again reading "Smile" this week to keep busy as she anxiously waits for "Sisters" to arrive. Recently my mom was taken to the hospital, thank God she's getting better, but our daughter has even read "Smile" to my mom to cheer her up until she's able to come home."
"I JUST LOVE IT HAVE HAD BRACES WHEN 12 OR SO FOR OVER A YEAR.I THINK RAINA TELGEMEIER BOOK ABOUT HER HVING BRACES IS ONE OF CUTES, AND FUNNIEST COMIC BOOK NOVELS I HAVE EVER READ. HAVING THIS ONE BEING MY FRIST OF BOOKS I MAY READ HER OTHER BOOKS, BUY SMILE AND READ IT YOU WILL LOVE IT LIKE I LOVE IT."
"Another side note - any child going through friend trouble or getting braces may enjoy this book even more than other kids."