Doesn’t every parent want their child to love to read? There are so many genres of books that kids love and some that they don’t, but there’s usually one that sticks out for them more than the others.
If your child is still exploring and still not sure of a genre that they love, then give these nonfiction books a try. If it’s already nonfiction books that stand out for your child, these nonfiction books are sure to be a hit!
Sometimes children love to read without the constant monitoring of their reading abilities. I have never been able to figure out which kids will be readers and which ones will not. At the age of about 4, you can sort of tell if a child likes books or if they could care less about books.
Most of these titles are series so if your child loves one of these books, it’s very likely there’s another title in the series that they’ll also love!
How to be an Engineer by Carol Vorderman
This book teaches kids to think like an engineer! The engaging projects in this book will encourage kids to investigate using items from around the house.
Build a robot arm out of rulers; learn about jet propulsion with balloons; crush toilet-paper rolls to explore materials; and much more. Read about how engineers use STEAM subjects and their imaginations to think critically and solve problems.
Be inspired by engineering heroes such as Leonardo da Vinci, Mae Jemison, and Elon Musk. Fun questions, engineering experiments, and real-life scenarios come together to make engineering relevant.
How Things Work Then and Now by T.J. Resler
Travel back in time and into the not-so-distant future to dissect, explore, and discover how all kinds of things do what they do! Along the way, you’ll learn why cotton candy is so fluffy, how scientists built a space suit for Mars, and what goes into animating your favorite cartoons.
Look inside, take it apart, turn it over, and figure out how things work! Detailed descriptions, full-color diagrams, and brilliant photographs! For every explanation, we touch on basic principles and then dive deeper. Just want to know what terraforming is? We’ve got you covered. Want to know how to terraform, say, Mars? We’ll explain that, too.
But this book isn’t just for explaining things. We’ll also introduce you to the dreamers, scientists, and innovators who create this amazing stuff. You’ll meet a NASA engineer, an underwater archaeologist, and a chocolate scientist. You’ll learn what it’s like to fly a plane into the eye of a hurricane–on purpose.

Robots by Nathan Lepora
Perfect for budding scientists who want a highly visual robotics book to increase their STEM smarts, DK findout! Robots is sure to inspire the next amazing school project or robotics-club activity. Inside, author Dr. Nathan Lepora breaks down what robots are and why they’re so important.
Kids will discover what robots are and the amazing jobs they do, from building cars to exploring space and fixing our bodies. They’ll see early robots from the year 1206 and find out how robotics has changed over time. They’ll understand how different types of robots are built and coded to perform certain tasks and learn about animatronics, humanoids, drones, and artificial intelligence, and peek into the future of robotics and find out much, much more!
The DK findout! series of kids books helps children become experts on their favorite nonfiction subjects, from dinosaurs and ancient civilizations to space, coding, and cutting-edge technology.
Mistakes That Worked by Charlotte Foltz Jones
Popsicles, potato chips, Silly Putty, Velcro, and many other familiar things have fascinating stories behind them. In fact, dozens of products and everyday items had surprisingly haphazard beginnings. Mistakes That Worked offers forty of these unusual tales, along with hilarious cartoons and weird and amazing facts. Readers will be surprised and inspired!
Art for Kids – Drawing by Kathryn Temple
When children draw, they want to create an accurate likeness of the things they see. With this imaginative, informative, and amply illustrated guide, it’s amazingly easy for kids to make their art dreams come true.
The entertaining, hands-on lessons begin with contour drawing techniques and feature numerous exercises that show budding artists how to make basic shapes and forms, create the illusion of volume with light, use perspective, and accurately draw people, animals, landscapes, and more.
Coding Games by Jon Woodcock
Written for children ages 8–12 with little to no coding experience, this straightforward visual guide uses fun graphics and easy-to-follow instructions to show young learners how to build their own computer projects using Scratch, a popular free programming language.
Kids can build single and multiplayer platform games, create puzzles and memory games, race through mazes, add animation, and more. All they need is a desktop or laptop with Adobe 10.2 or later, and an internet connection.
Essential coding concepts are explained using eight build-along game projects that guide young coders step-by-step, using visual samples, easy-to-follow instructions, and fun pixel art. Supporting STEM education initiatives and the maker movement, computer coding teaches kids how to think creatively, work collaboratively, and reason systematically, and is quickly becoming a necessary and sought-after skill.
I am Jackie Robinson by Brad Meltzer.
This New York Times Bestselling picture book biography series by Brad Meltzer has an inspiring message: We can all be heroes.
Jackie Robinson always loved sports, especially baseball. But he lived at a time before the Civil Rights Movement, when the rules weren’t fair to African Americans. Even though Jackie was a great athlete, he wasn’t allowed on the best teams just because of the color of his skin.
Jackie knew that sports were best when everyone, of every color, played together. He became the first black player in Major League Baseball, and his bravery changed African-American history and led the way to equality in all sports in America.
This engaging series is the perfect way to bring American history to life for young children, providing them with the right role models, supplementing Common Core learning in the classroom, and best of all, inspiring them to strive and dream
Welcome Wombat (True Tales of Rescue) by
When Panzer the new baby wombat shows up at Sleepy Burrows Wombat Sanctuary in Australia, veteran wombat Chance is excited to show the new gal the ropes. Before any animal can be successfully released back into the wild, many things have to happen. After rescue comes recovery, then rehabilitation, and finally, release into the Australian bush.
Those are animal-sanctuary tenets–an animal will remain safe until release or until it dies. Chance and Panzer must learn how to find food, dig, and protect themselves. Young readers will love the dusty, charming crew of sanctuary wombats!
I Wonder Why Soap Makes Bubbles by Barbara Taylor
This highly popular and long-running series has been revamped for a new generation of readers, with a clean, crisp redesign and colorful covers. The series explores questions that young readers ask about the world around them in an unrivalled child-friendly style.
This book answers all of those tricky questions about science in everyday life and how the world works. Starting with understanding the world around you with questions such as what makes cakes rise?, Why does a teaspoon get hot when you stir cocoa? Why do shadows happen, etc. Combining incredible information with awesome artwork, it will definitely amaze and inspire!
Flight by Andrew Nahum
The most trusted nonfiction series on the market, Eyewitness Books provide an in-depth, comprehensive look at their subjects with a unique integration of words and pictures. Previously published as Eyewitness: Flying Machine, Eyewitness: Flight is a spectacular and informative guide to the fascinating world of aircraft.
Superb color photographs offer a unique “eyewitness” exploration of the history of flight and provide a close-up view of the many different types of aircraft in use today, how to keep an airplane flying straight and level, and more.
And Check Out These Recommended Books on My Genre Pages:
- Nonfiction
- Funny Books
- Graphic Novels
- Scary Books
- Magazines
- Fantasy
- Adventure
- Joke Books
- Poetry
- Realistic Fiction
- Short Stories
- Mysteries
And Check Out Some of my Other Posts:
- How to help your Struggling Reader at Home
- 5 Ways to help Kids Who Can’t Focus to Read
- 25 Ideas for Reading Skills Practice at Home!
- Books for Boys Who Hate to Read and Tips to Get Them Reading Today
- How to Help Your Child Get Ready to Read
- How to get a Reluctant Reader to Read!
- Is Your Child a Reluctant Reader?
- Motivate your Child to Read More – a Reading Challenge!
- Super Fun Ideas For Reading Practice
- Help your Child Find the Right Book!
- Memory Techniques to Help Your Child Remember Information
Please contact me if you’re looking for any other type of game or reading skill you’d like help with. If there’s a specific book or other reading product you’re looking for, or if you have a question about reading, just leave a comment or question below or email me at mrs.dehm@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!