Looking for the best Nonfiction Picture books? Browse our list to find excellent book recommendations on the subject.
- For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2016)
- Saved by the Boats: The Heroic Sea Evacuation of September 11 (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2016)
- Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2,500 Children During the Holocaust (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2016)
- Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team Defeated Army (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2018)
- Sunshine Brightens Springtime (Nonfiction Picture Books: Springtime Weather Wonders) (2016)
- Beacon to Freedom: The Story of a Conductor on the Underground Railroad (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2017)
- Rebel with a Cause: The Daring Adventure of Dicey Langston, Girl Spy of the American Revolution (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2016)
- Hedy’s Journey: The True Story of a Hungarian Girl Fleeing the Holocaust (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2018)
- Perfect Pairs, K-2: Using Fiction & Nonfiction Picture Books to Teach Life Science, K-2 (2014)
- Perfect Pairs, 3-5: Using Fiction & Nonfiction Picture Books to Teach Life Science, Grades 3-5 (2016)
- Picture (New York Review Books Classics) (2019)
- Cars (Picture Puffin Books) (1992)
- Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be (1994)
- Good-Bye, Jeepers (Nonfiction Picture Books: Life’s Challenges) (2016)
For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2016)
She grew up in a world where women were supposed to be quiet. But Malala Yousafzai refused to be silent. Discover Malala’s story through this powerful narrative telling, and come to see how one brave girl named Malala changed the world.
Saved by the Boats: The Heroic Sea Evacuation of September 11 (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2016)
September 11, 2001 was a black day in U.S. history. Amid the chaos, sea captains and crews raced by boat to the tragic Manhattan scene. Nearly 500,000 people on Manhattan Island were rescued that day in what would later be called the largest sea evacuation in history. In this rarely told story of heroism, we come to understand that in our darkest hours, people shine brightly as a beacon of hope.
Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2,500 Children During the Holocaust (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2016)
Amid the horrors of World War II, Irena Sendler was an unlikely and unsung hero. While many people lived in fear of the Nazis, Irena defied them, even though it could have meant her life. This gripping true story of a woman who took it upon herself to help save 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust is not only inspirational―it’s unforgettable.
Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team Defeated Army (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2018)
In the autumn of 1912, the football team from Carlisle Indian Industrial School took the field at the U.S. Military Academy, home to the bigger, stronger, and better-equipped West Points Cadets. Sportswriters billed the game as a sort of rematch, pitting against each other the descendants of U.S. soldiers and American Indians who fought on the battlefield only 20 years earlier.
Sunshine Brightens Springtime (Nonfiction Picture Books: Springtime Weather Wonders) (2016)
Who doesn’t love springtime sun? Lyrical, rhyming text takes young readers on a journey with furry and feathery friends to experience spring sunshine.
Beacon to Freedom: The Story of a Conductor on the Underground Railroad (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2017)
Reverend John Rankin is credited with providing safety through the Underground Railroad to more than 2,000 people as they tried to escape slavery. Not as well-known as Harriet Tubman’s story to most readers, Beacon to Freedom recounts in an illlustrated, nonfiction narrative how Rankin guided runaways across the wide Ohio River with a light in his window, giving them hope in a time of great fear and danger.
Rebel with a Cause: The Daring Adventure of Dicey Langston, Girl Spy of the American Revolution (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2016)
Bloody Bill is coming! The American Revolution is raging, and 14-year-old Dicey Langston overhears that a fierce Loyalist leader is heading for the Patriot camp where her brothers are secretly based.
Hedy’s Journey: The True Story of a Hungarian Girl Fleeing the Holocaust (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books) (2018)
It is 1941. Hedy and her family are Jewish, and the Jew-hating Nazi party is rising. Hedy’s family is no longer safe in their home in Hungary. They decide to flee to America, but because of their circumstances, sixteen-year-old Hedy must make her way through Europe alone. Will luck be with her? Will she be brave?
Perfect Pairs, K-2: Using Fiction & Nonfiction Picture Books to Teach Life Science, K-2 (2014)
Hands-on lessons can be fun and compelling, but when it comes to life science, they aren’t always possible, practical, effective, or safe. Children can’t follow a lion as it stalks a gazelle, visit the exotic kapok tree in a rain forest, or swim alongside the underwater life in a pond. But they can explore a whole world of animals, plants, and ecosystems through the pages of beautifully illustrated, science-themed picture books.
Perfect Pairs, 3-5: Using Fiction & Nonfiction Picture Books to Teach Life Science, Grades 3-5 (2016)
Hands-on lessons can be fun and compelling, but when it comes to life science, they aren't always possible, practical, effective, or safe. Children can't follow wolves as they hunt elk, visit a prehistoric swamp, or shrink down to the size of a molecule and observe photosynthesis firsthand.
Picture (New York Review Books Classics) (2019)
Lillian Ross worked at The New Yorker for more than half a century, and might be described not only as an outstanding practitioner of modern long-form journalism but also as one of its inventors. Picture, originally published in 1952, is her most celebrated piece of reportage, a closely observed and completely absorbing story of how studio politics and misguided commercialism turn a promising movie into an all-around disaster.
Cars (Picture Puffin Books) (1992)
Using simple text and illustrations, this book introduces colorful cars of all kinds—and their uses—to young children.”Rockwell’s neat, brightly hued graphics are instantly recognizable, and little boys and girls will love this entertaining exploration of cars.” —Publishers Weekly
Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be (1994)
came about when an English earl was too busy gambling to eat his meal and needed to keep one hand free. were first cooked by a chef who was furious when a customer complained that his fried potatoes weren’t thin enough. and have fascinating stories behind them too!
Good-Bye, Jeepers (Nonfiction Picture Books: Life’s Challenges) (2016)
When a pet dies, it can feel like you lost your best friend. What do you do? Whether you had a guinea pig, dog, cat or fish, this story can help you through the tough times.
Best Nonfiction Picture Books You Should Enjoy
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some nonfiction picture books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Hedy's journey: the true story of a Hungarian girl fleeing the Holocaust
Author(s): Bisson, Michelle;Engle, Hedy;Primo Ramón
ID: 2685104, Publisher: Capstone Press, Year: 2017, Size: 3 Mb, Format: azw3
Let's Make a Picture Graph
Author(s): Robin Nelson
ID: 3543186, Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group|Lerner Publishing Group, Year: 2017, Size: 7 Mb, Format: epub
Helen Thayer's Arctic Adventure: A Woman and a Dog Walk to the North Pole
Author(s): Sally Isaacs
ID: 3583773, Publisher: Capstone, Year: 2016, Size: 26 Mb, Format: epub
Please note that this booklist is not absolute. Some books are absolutely record-breakers according to USA Today, others are drafted by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant links you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.