Non-Fiction Recommendations

De Paola, Tomie   Tomie de Paola's Book of Bible Stories

A collection of Bible stories, from Creation to the Resurrection of Christ and the appearance of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

De Paola, Tomie   Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland

Relates the life and legends of Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Maestro, Betsy   Coming to America: the Story of Immigration

Jackson, Ellen   Turn of the Century

Children living in Great Britain and the United States at the beginning of each century between 1000 and 2000 A.D. describe their lifestyle at the time.

Kindersley, Barnabas   Children Just Like Me

Photographs and text depict the homes, schools, family life, and culture of young people around the world.

Lauber, Patricia   What You Never Knew about Tubs, Toilets, and Showers

Describes people's feelings about bathing and methods of keeping clean throughout history, from the Stone Age to modern times.

Aliki   Mummies Made in Egypt

Describes the techniques and the reasons for the use of mummification in ancient Egypt.

Goble, Paul   The Gift of the Sacred Dog

The Great Spirit gives the sacred dog to an Indian boy seeking relief for his hungry people.

Brook, Donna   Journey of English

Levy, Elizabeth   Who are you calling a wooly mammoth? : Prehistoric America

Tanaka, Shelley   Graveyards of the Dinosaurs

Discusses the work of paleontologists who have found dinosaur bones and fossils in Canada, Argentina, and the Gobi Desert.

Burleigh, Robert   Flight : the Journey of Charles Lindbergh

Describes how Charles Lindbergh achieved the remarkable feat of flying nonstop and solo from New York to Paris in 1927.

Goodman, Susan   Ultimate Field Trip 5: Blasting off to Space Academy

Kehret, Peg   Shelter dogs: amazing stories of adopted strays

Tells the stories of eight stray dogs that were adopted from animal shelters and went on to become service dogs, actors, and heroes.

Wood, Ted   Bear Dogs : Canines with a mission

Fritz, Jean   Leonardo’s Horse

Bjork, Christina   Linnea in Monet’s Garden

A little girl visits the home and garden of Claude Monet at Giverny, France, and learns about the artist's paintings and his life. The illustrations include photographs of the painter and his family as well as examples of his work.

Guthrie, Woody   This Land Is Your Land

This well-known folk song is accompanied by a tribute from folksinger Pete Seeger, the musical notation, and a biographical scrapbook with photographs.

Aliki   William Shakespeare and the Globe

Tells the story of the well-known playwright, William Shakespeare, and of the famous Globe Theatre in which many of his works were performed.

Cohn, Amy L.   From Sea to Shining Sea: A Tresury of American Folklore and Folksongs

Silverstein, Shel   Light in the Attic

A collection of humorous poems and drawings.

Kipling, Rudyard   Rudyard Kipling

An illustrated collection of twenty-eight notable poems by Rudyard Kipling, with commentary and definitions of unfamiliar words. Includes an introduction about the poet's life and work.

Shakespeare, William   To Sleep Perchance to Dream: a Child’s Book of Rhymes

A wonderfully illustrated picture book that includes verses from a variety of Shakespeare’s plays.

Ambrose, Stephen E.   The Good Fight: how WWII was Won

Examines the events and effects of World War II.  Great choice for kids and adults alike.

Sis, Peter  Tibet: Through the Red Box

The author recreates a journey his father took through Tibet in the 1950s, describing the colorful people and places he saw.

St. George, Judith  So you Want to be President

Presents an assortment of facts about the qualifications and characteristics of U.S. presidents, from George Washington to Bill Clinton.  Wonderful illustrations set this book apart.  2001 Caldecot winner.

McPherson, James M.   Fields of Fury

Examines the events and effects of the American Civil War.  A great choice for kids and adults alike.

Curlee, Lynn   Liberty

Discusses all the planning and efforts that went into the construction of one of the most famous symbols of the United States, the Statue of Liberty.

Jakes, John   Susanna of the Alamo

Relates the experiences of the Texas woman who, along with her baby, survived the 1836 massacre at the Alamo.

BIOGRAPHIES

Younger, Barbara    Purple Mountain Majesties : the Story of Katharine Lee Bates and “America the Beautiful”

A brief biography of the author and college professor whose travels across the United States inspired her to write the poem which became the song "America the Beautiful."

Freedman, Russell   Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille

A biography of the nineteenth-century Frenchman who, having been blinded himself at the age of three, went on to develop a system of raised dots on paper that enabled blind people to read and write.

Bridges, Ruby   Through My Eyes

Ruby Bridges recounts the story of her involvement, as a six-year-old, in the integration of her school in New Orleans in 1960.

Rappaport, Doreen   Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This picture book uses illustrations and King’s own words to portray his life.

Warren, Andrea   Pioneer Girl: Growing up on the Prairie

Tells about the daily life and activities of a pioneer girl growing up on the prairies of Nebraska.

Tallchief, Maria   Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina

Ballerina Maria Tallchief describes her childhood on an Osage reservation, the development of her love of dance, and her rise to success in that field.