I have decided to name this year: “The Year of the Gorgeous Nonficiton Picture Books!” I mean, c’mon, has anyone else noticed that incredible and beautiful nonfiction picture books are pouring out of bookstores? I have and I have definitely jumped on the nonfiction picture book train. As a child I was almost never as excited about nonfiction as I was fiction. Even as an adult I tend to lean towards always wanting to read fiction in novels as well as picture books. However, these beautiful books have won me over. I wish they they had been around as I was a child.
I have spent quite a bit of time curating this list for you. These seven books are my absolute favorites of the nonfiction picture books that have come out recently about nature. I tried to pick books that covered a wide age range, from babies up through older children (and yes, even adults would enjoy these) and I feel that these here do that. Plus, all of them but one are oversized and even that one is still larger than most and lusciously thick. Who doesn’t love a big book, am I right?! There is just something about them that make me want to get lost inside. Here are the seven I selected in order of smallest to largest.
*Affilaite links below
Wilderness by Hanna Pang and Jenny Wren
Don’t be fooled by the fact that this is the smaller book on the list. It is beautifully thick and really packs-a-punch because this is a wonderfully done interactive book. The pages are a thick and sturdy cardboard and the whole book is filled with flaps, info graphic spin wheels, little booklets, and even a pop-up on the last spread. I love how all the interactive features are done in a thoughtful way that really adds to the educational nature of the book.
Wild Animals of the North by Dieter Braun
This is the heftiest book of the bunch. It is thick and bursting with gorgeous prism-styled illustrations and interesting information. It is done in an encyclopedia style in that the pages contain frame-worthy illustrations (I swear I want to tear them out and decorate my home!) of an animal with their scientific and common name. With some that is all that is included, with others there is a short description of the animal that highlights an aspect of it such as a characteristic, special skill set, physical adaptation and so forth. There is an index at the end with all the animals included in the book.
Beautiful Birds by J. Roussen and E. Walker
This book is one that would appeal especially to the younger readers, but is one older children can still enjoy. Essentially it is an ABC book with sparse text that walks you through different types of birds. (One or two different birds for each letter.) I love that there are some unusual and unexpected birds included in this book and that there are a few tiny tid-bits of information thrown in about them. The star of this book really is the diversity of the birds and the vivid illustrations. They are neon, modern, and truly spectacular!
Natural World by Amanda Wood and Mike Jolley
This is another hefty book and of the books on this list is probably the most informative. It is one that I would recommend for older readers and is fascinating enough to keep them entertained for hours. It covers a vast selection of topics including camouflage, habitats, plants, micro-organisms, migration and more. Along with beautiful illustrations it includes keys, charts, webs and a lot of other different types of info graphics. It really couldnt be more well don and it makes my teacher heart happy. (Also, thought I might mention that the jacket folds out into a large and beautiful poster!)
Storyworlds: Nature by Thomas Hegbrook
I have never seen a nonfiction book quite like this one. It truly is innovative in it’s format and is refreshingly different. This book contains only illustrations and no words. However, the illustrations each tell their own “story”. For example, an illustration may show the process an animal uses to obtain and store food. Or it may display interactions between different animals. They let a child use their deciphering and pre-reading skills to discover the information about the animals that it holds. Ingenius! One of the best features about this book is at the very end there is a section that shows a miniature spread of all the illustrations in the book along with the information or story that it is conveying. This is a great way for children to check the information they are gleaning from the illustrations as well as to help them learn to make the connections between the illustrations and what they can teach.
Atlas of Animal Adventures by Lucy Letherland, Rachel Williams and Emily Hawkins
This is a gorgeous and huge atlas book that features animals around the world and where their natural habitats are. It covers all seven continents and starts with a map spread of that particular continent. On the map are listed the names of the countries along with many of the animals that continent is home to. Then, after the map spread, there are a few pages where the book features different animal species in different locations in different con tries on that continent. The illustrations are incredibly detailed and the text is small so they could pack it with a lot of information. This is another one that would appeal especially to older children and one that they could, again, spend hours getting lost in. Also, it does include a complete index at the end (I’m a fan of indexes, can you tell? They help turn books into a more efficient resource!) as well as an animal “search and find” section.
This is the biggest book of the bunch and it is GINORMOUS! Seriously, each page is poster size! Inside are beautiful, bright illustrations of animals along with their name. That’s it, there is no more text or information. Simple and beautiful which makes it great for the absolute youngest of readers who are just learning their animal names as well as older children who just want to experience the beauty of the modern illustrations and enjoy the fun size. The typography for the animal names is also a lot of fun in this one.
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