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Nonfiction Books for KidsSummer 2025
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Do You Believe in Magic?
by Laura Krantz
Magic spells and curses, hexes and potions, superstition, and rituals. We've all heard stories of alchemists attempting to turn lead into gold. Or potion masters asked to brew up unappetizing concoctions that will help find love. And of course, we're familiar with curses exacting revenge on an enemy or protecting a hidden treasure. Who wouldn't like the idea of special powers, or control over the natural world? It seems fun, even if it's just the stuff of fantasy books and movies. But a lot of what we call magic has grounding in real practices. In fact, magic is at the root of many scientific fields from chemistry to botany to astronomy and has been an important part of human culture for thousands of years.
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Where to? A Trip Around the Neighborhood
by Magda Garguláková
Join eight adventurous friends as they embark on a journey through their city, tackling everyday challenges and exploring exciting places like the post office, photo studio, museum, and more. Each child faces unique situations, offering young readers a chance to navigate urban life, solve problems, and discover the wonders hidden in familiar places.
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Rebels, robbers, and radicals : the story of the Bill of Rights
by Teri Kanefield
Meet the rebels, robbers, radicals, determined teenagers, and ordinary Americans who shaped our Constitutional rights. The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution-known as the Bill of Rights-include the guarantee that no person may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Yet this soaring vision of human rights was written by enslavers who deprived others of these rights. The struggle to resolve this paradox continues to the present day. From lawyer Teri Kanefield comes the story of the Bill of Rights, from the founding of America to the first sedition laws, slavery, women's equality, the Civil War, Prohibition, the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, the Civil Rights movement, gun control, and more. Using real court cases, Kanefield explains the meaning of each of the first ten amendments. The result is the story of Americans who have tested the limits of their rights or demanded that their rights be recognized, exploring how our rights evolve as the nation grows and changes.
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The Salt Princess
by Anoosha Syed
In a bejeweled kingdom, a proud king banishes his youngest daughter to the woods after a prank embarrassed him, but she eventually finds her way back to her family, in a story with back matter and a condensed tale in Urdu.
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Earthquakes & Tsunamis
by Emily Bone
This action-packed introduction to earthquakes and tsunamis covers everything kids need to know about these natural disasters and features striking photos and illustrations that bring the information to life.
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Chomp-O-Rama : The Strange Ways That Animals Eat
by Maria Birmingham
Lively text and vibrant, humorous illustrations present twelve food-focused scenarios in this inventive and surprisingly relatable introduction to animal behavior. After a brief introduction, twelve playful comparisons demonstrate ways a variety of animals and humans are the same but different when it comes to their snacks and meals. The animals are from a wide range of geographic habitats, from arctic foxes to Amazonian turtles and butterflies to Canada Jays.
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Axolotls
by Abby Doty
This book introduces of readers to some of axolotls' creepiest features and behaviors. It also includes information about the animals' habitat and life cycle.
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How to Be a Doctor and Other Life-Saving Jobs
by Punam Krishan
Do you have what it takes to become a doctor, a medical scientist, or to work in public health? Find out all about the incredible life-saving jobs you could do, from training to become a heart surgeon or a paramedic to working as a psychologist or even treating professional athletes. This fully illustrated book will inspire any child with an interest in helping people and saving lives.
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All About the Brain
by Dr. Dabscheck, Gabriel
Ever wondered why the brain is the boss of your body? How does your brain tell the other parts of the body what to do? Curious kids will find the answers to these questions and more.
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Make 10 Marvelous Machines with STEM
by Chelsey Luciow
Engineers know there's always more than one way to solve a problem. Use your STEM smarts to brainstorm, design, and build a machine in 10 different ways. Step-by-step projects will introduce you to the STEM concepts at the heart of making machines. Take the projects further by experimenting with your own designs!
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The Ultimate Science Cookbook for Kids: 75+ Edible Experiments
by Paige Towler
With foods like Marshmallow Meteorites, Grape and Cheese Towers, and an Edible, Exploding Volcano, young scientists won't be able to get enough of this STEM-inspired cookbook. Whether you're an expert chef or new to the kitchen, these easy-to-follow recipes are perfect for building kitchen confidence, exploring new tastes, and gobbling up science facts.
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LEGO How to Build Everything
by Hannah Dolan
Kids will be inspired by the 200 LEGO ideas presented and discover how to build hundreds of incredible creations using LEGO blocks, from a hot-dog car to a towering T. rex, in a book with helpful tips and techniques.
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Guess the Pokémon
by Glenn Dakin
Can you recognize Mew from Mimikyu? Prove your knowledge of more than 100 Pokémon by guessing the characters from their silhouettes. See if you can guess all the Pokémon!
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Incredible: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Changed the World
by Maia Shibutani
Delves into the vast number of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders who have made significant and lasting change in the world. More than thirty figures are introduced in this book, ranging from chefs to entertainers to scientists, in short but substantial biographies and colorful illustrations.
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Inventions to Count On: A Celebration of Black Inventors
by Dana Marie Miroballi
"From forgotten innovators to well-known inventors, this picture book is a celebration of Black history and inventors with a unique counting rhyme. From traffic lights to ice cream scoopers to fire trucks, there are so many different ways that Black inventors changed history. Follow a bustling modern-day family as they get ready for a beloved family member's 100th birthday. Woven into their activities are ten inventions that positively impact their daily lives as they prepare for the celebration.
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Kaho'olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People
by Kamalani Hurley
"Discover the story of the smallest Hawaiian island, a place sacred to Native Hawaiians, from its formation long ago to its present-day restoration as a protected site. A remarkable narrative accompanied by stunning illustrations.
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Yvonne Clark and Her Engineering Spark
by Allen R. Wells
Yvonne Clark tinkered and made broken things new as a youngster, later overcoming obstacles as an African American woman in the 1950s and‘60s to become one of NASA's first Black female engineers, in an inspiring picture book biography.
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How to Explain Coding to a Grown-Up
by Ruth Spiro
In this tongue-and-cheek guide, a kid expert explains to young readers how to teach their grown-ups about the basics of coding, including hardware, software algorithms, and debugging.
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Find Momo Everywhere
by Andrew Knapp
Heartfelt text and lively mixed-media illustrations explore grief and how we can still connect with our loved ones even after they're gone as the author meditates on the life and loss of his beloved dog - and best friend - Momo.
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Climate: Our Changing World
by Andrew Sima
A book for middle readers explores how climate change affects everyone, and how by working together, we can help make the world safer for ourselves and future generations.
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The Story of Science: How Science and Technology Changed the World
by Robert Winston
Delve into the stories of history's most influential scientific experiments, inventions and life-changing discoveries that have impacted our understanding and changed the world. Teach children about the incredible world of science through fascinating facts, innovative inventions, and daring discoveries. Learn how random accidents have led to some of the greatest findings our world has ever seen, and how anybody who dares to dream can be successful.
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The Big Book of Butts
by Eva Manzano
Butts are used for breathing, eating, swimming and even talking and they come in all shapes, sizes and colors (some are even multi-colored!). Learn fun facts about your own bottom and those in the animal kingdom in this hilarious book of butts!
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Where Are the Aliens? The Search for Life Beyond Earth
by Stacy McAnulty
Taking readers on a journey through theories of discovery, from the Big Bang to today's technological advancements, this entertaining, science-based book explores of one of the universe's greatest mysteries - does life exist beyond Earth?
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Ultimate Mammalpedia
by Stephanie Warren Drimmer
An encyclopedia of mammals - including profiles and explanation of what mammals are - for early readers.
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It's So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families
by Robie H. Harris
Updated for a new generation of readers, this classic resource, vetted by experts, provides children with honest answers about reproduction, babies, love, sex and gender with the help of two cartoon characters, Bird and Bee.
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Operation Cupcake: How Simple Machines Work
by Bambi Edlund
Targeting a vanilla cupcake with buttercream frosting for their next treat, clever mice Ginger and Mac use simple machines to get past the big obstacles in their way, in this laugh-out-loud adventure that teaches children about the basic concepts of mechanical physics.
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LEGO Amazing Earth
by Jennifer Swanson
Budding LEGO builders will be inspired to create incredible things as they take a tour of planet Earth, where they will see amazing planets, animals and geological features without leaving home.
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This Book Will Make You an Artist
by Ruth Millington
Jam-packed with imaginative ideas for all kinds of creative crafts... this book will make YOU an artist! Pick up your pencils, collect your collage materials, and take inspiration from 25 of the world's best-known artists in this fact-filled book full of activities. Discover famous masterpieces through the included photographs of real works of art - from ancient cave painting to contemporary performance - and lots more in between!
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Artificers & Alchemy: A Young Adventurer's Guide
by Jim Zub
This enchanting guide to the wondrous creatures found throughout the D&D universe provides easy-to-follow explanations and action-packed illustrations to help aspiring adventurers seek out items and create them in-game as well as how to interact with unusual, magical objects.
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The Life-Changing Magic of Chess: A Beginner's Guide
by Maurice Ashley
After making history as the chess world's first Black Grandmaster, Maurice Ashley went on to become a three-time national championship coach and commentator. Now he's sharing his passion for chess with you.
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The Maps Book
by Joanne Bourne
Packed with astounding maps from ancient times to the present, fascinating facts and amazing historic photographs, this ultimate guide to the full breadth of maps in existence shows kids not only how to read maps and symbols but how to create their own.
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Above the Trenches: A WWI Flying Ace Tale
by Nathan Hale
This edge-of-your-seat page turner recounts the adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, the first American pilots to fight in WWI for the French military, and how they went down in history with other legendary flying aces, like the Red Baron and his Flying Circus.
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A Place Called America: A Story of the Land and People
by Jennifer Thermes
The long view of the land's history from its earliest formation and inhabitants. Meet those indigenous to the shores of the land called Turtle Island and their relatives who contributed to World War II and whose ideas founded the basis of the Constitution. Meet immigrant communities, who came to the land from all around the world - at different times and against all odds. Meet enslaved ancestors who were brought to the land against their will and whose labor and experience changed the story forever. Jennifer Thermes weaves the threads of these communities together using the land itself as a unifying lens. Illustrated with dazzling maps, it is an info-packed read, with sidebars, an author's note, and a timeline supplementing the accessible text. A Place Called America will challenge its readers to think critically about the stories we tend to take for granted about our own history.
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