A few non-fiction picture books for summer reading

The Food Parade by Elicia Castaldi

Information imparted in a colorful and interesting way! While not strictly non-fiction, the foods all have faces and march by in a semblance of a parade, the information is true and accurate. Five food groups are presented with a variety of foods representing each group. Each page features a few fun facts about nutrition and the end of the book is a note to parents and caregivers about healthy choices for four to eight year olds. If you are the type that eats nothing with a face, then stay away from this book. All the foods, even a slice of bread, have faces here.

Goal! By Sean Taylor, photographs by Caio Vilela

Just in time for the World Cup, this book works on a myriad of levels. It has photographs of people playing soccer all over the world. (Just wish more than two of the photos featured girls!) It has a large font, short soccer fact on each page, as well as a small font, more complicated fact about soccer in a particular country. For example on the first page, the large font text says, “Where there’s a ball, there will always be someone who wants to play soccer.” Simple text that even very young children could understand. The smaller text inset talks about soccer in Brazil and highlights Pele as one of the greatest soccer player of all time. This makes the book interesting for an intermediate reader, especially one who is interested in soccer.

Anna and Solomon by Elaine Snyder, pictures by Harry Bliss

Ann and Solomon live and marry in a small village in Russia. When the Czar makes life unbearable for the Jewish people, Solomon leaves for America where he works hard and sends money for Anna to join him. Being a kind hearted sister, Anna sends her younger brother instead. Next she sends her older brother and her mother. When, finally, Anna uses the money that Solomon sends for her own passage, he can hardly belief his eyes. A family memoir with simple pictures including several views of the statue of liberty, this would be a great introduction to family trees and interviewing grandparents. Not everyone will have a story of immigration, but all families will have some story worth telling!

Gravity by Jason Chin

Chin draws beautiful pictures of the world and simple pictures of people, combining these with very simple text to explain gravity to young children. For those who have more questions, there are some additional explanations in the back. For any teacher who has difficulty teaching the difference between mass and weight, here’s the book for you!

The Pilot and the Little Prince: The Life of Antoine de Saint-Exupery by Peter Sis

Peter Sis is one of the best children’s book illustrators working today. The drawings in this book could not convey Saint-Exupery’s love of flight any better than they do. The writing is also simple enough for young children to understand, while being sophisticated at the same time. This book is best suited for those children in grades 3-6 who have an interest in flight, or for anyone who has ever read and loved The Little Prince.