With the recent 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, here are some books on that subject, as well as other remarkable non-fiction books that kids of all ages can learn from and enjoy.
Titanic: Disaster at Sea, by Martin Jenkins, and illustrated by Brian Sanders, is a shorter and more condensed book with just 31 pages and is written with a documentary flair. The presentation of this book has more information with each example or illustration even though there are fewer pages. The timeline of the final events of the sinking is especially interesting and most dramatic.
Planet Earth (Explorers Series), by Daniel Gilpin, is wonderfully illustrated with bright photos and drawings that fill the pages, along with kid-friendly information that will surely draw readers into the entire 31 pages. Some of the eight sections include Earth and its position in space, volcanic eruptions, deep into the sea and rainforests.
The Elements (Scholastic Discover More Series), by Dan Green, answers the question of what an element is with the simplicity of extracting the definitions with amazing illustrations. The vivid drawings and photos bring what could be boring elements to life by making them very interesting. The book is divided into five sections beginning with meeting the elements and moving on to the main metals and gases and ending with the history of how the elements were discovered. Every concept discussed on the double-pages helps create a brilliant image. This book could invite a new scientist in your family!
Human Body: A Book with Guts!, created by Basher, and written by Dan Green, covers the basic parts of the human body from cells to blood to bones and muscles. This smallish sized book is easy to flip through and read sections of interest as each subject is written about on one side of the open-page spread and the other side has the illustration. There is a poster of the circulatory system found at the back of the book. This is part of a series of scientific books which includes biology and planet earth.
Everything You Need to Know: An Encyclopedia for Inquiring Young Minds, published by Kingfisher, is quite a thick book (with over 300 pages) but each category is easy to grasp and is brightly illustrated. The sections span from history, science and living organisms. It’s also an easy reference book to help children locate subjects of interest.
Stars and Planets, by Carole Stott, and Planets, by Penelope Arlon and Tory Gordon-Harris, will give the reader a much more in-depth look at space, travel, the planetary system and the many moons near some of the planets.