Skip to main content

Five Faves: Informational Picture Books

 

There have been some great informational picture books that have come out this past year. And I thought I would take a moment to show you five of my favorites. So, if you know anyone who wants to learn more and have that information presented in a beautiful format with fantastic illustrations, this list is for you! 




By Nell Cross Beckerman 
Illustrated by Kalen Chock 
Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic, 2022. 

I have always been fascinated by speleologists—possibly because I may or may not be a tiny bit afraid ever since I read Tom Sawyer and imagined myself trapped like Becky and Tom. Anyway, this book totally grabbed my attention. It shows all the beauty (both the small bits and the grand, majestic parts) of caves. Readers who love adventures and exploring will enjoy learning more about this part of the world. 




By Melissa Steward 
Illustrated by Howard Gray 
Peachtree Publishing, 2022. 

This is one of those books that you hand to a reluctant reader that loves facts and knowing cool bits that they can tell others in casual conversations. It also has a human shadow that can be compared to the early predators so readers can visualize just how monstrous these carnivores really were. This is the type of book that elementary school kids will be wowed by. 




By Greg Pizzoli 
Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2022. 

I love pizza—and so do millions of people around the world. This is a fantastic informational book that tells all about the history of pizza. When it was first made, how it evolved to what it is known as today, and how it varies around the world. Give this to young Food Network fans who know their way around the kitchen and who like to know the history of their favorite foods. 




By Antoinette Portis 
Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, 2022. 

All of the stages of the life cycle of a plant can’t always be seen by children—since some of what happens does so below ground. This book has a series of illustrations that show the above and below ground bits of a sunflower as it grows from a seed. With limited text and bold pictures, this is a perfect book to explain plants and growing to young preschoolers. 




By Jason Chin 
Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, 2022. 

This is a fantastic book that shows just how small things are. Caldecott medalist Chin first starts by showing a person compared to the smallest hummingbird. Then shows the hummingbird compared to the smallest butterfly. This continues until readers get to the elementary particles that make up all the atoms that make up everything. But because Chin starts things by comparing a person to that first hummingbird, readers can really grasp just how microscopic things really are. Brilliant!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...

Review: The Memory Spinner

The Memory Spinner Written by C.M. Cornwell New York : Delacorte Press, 2025. Fiction. 281 pages. Fantasy is a genre that I don't often read. When I finish a good fantasy book, I always ask myself why I don't read more of them! This book made me ask myself that exact question. Lavender is a young girl who is struggling after the death of her mother. Her father doesn't like talking about the family's loss, and Lavender feels very alone in knowing how to grieve and cope with her feelings. Making the grieving process even harder for Lavender is the fact that she is struggling to hold on to memories of her mother.  The family runs an apothecary shop where Lavender is an apprentice. She has dreamed of her apprenticeship for a long time, putting in a lot of work to show her father she is a valuable asset. Unfortunately, while working side by side with her father, Lavender starts to notice that memories of her mother aren't the only thing she is having a hard time recallin...

Review: Kareem Between

  Kareem Between By Shifa Saltagi Safadi New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2024. Fiction. 324 pages.  Kareem loves football and as he gets ready to start seventh grade he dreams of someday becoming the first Syrian American NFL player. Seventh grade is not off to a great start for Kareem, after football tryouts don't go as he had planned, his best friend moves away, and his mom returns to Syria to help bring his sick grandfather to the US for treatment. So when Austin, the quarterback and coach's son, offers to talk to his dad and get Kareem on the football team in the spring, if he will cheat and do his homework for him, Kareem agrees. Kareem really wants to fit in at school and he is desperate to find a friend, but deep down he knows that doing Austin's homework isn't the right thing to do. And to make things harder, Kareem's mom asks him to be a friend to Fadi, a Syrian Christian refugee. He knows he should stand up for Fadi and help him adjust to the new school,...