Best Nonfiction Books for Kids on Epic

Is your child into animal books? This new series highlights that heroes come in all shapes and sizes, even in the animal kingdom. “True Stories of Animal Heroes” blends tales of creatures doing great things with facts about each species that captivate early readers. 

In this book, your kid will learn about a koala named Fluffies. This heroic creature not only survived the bushfires of Australia, but comforted other struggling animals with hugs and cuddles. This heartwarming children’s book informs kids about factual events and animal species while teaching them about bravery, kindness and empathy. 

Jump into music history with “The Roots of Rap!” This fun nonfiction picture book is all about how rap and hip-hop originated from folktales, spirituals and poetry. It’ll show your kid how the fresh sounds of jazz, the showmanship of James Brown and the birth of graffiti art and break dancing all led to music that’s popular today. 

Written by award-winning author and poet Carole Boston Weatherford, this book’s captivating rhythm mirrors the styles of rap, hip-hop and R&B. It oozes cool vibes, and feels more like entertainment than learning to even the most reluctant readers. 

This kid-friendly atlas from National Geographic Kids is an interactive guide to countries around the world. Super informative, it covers cultures, climates, geography and more. The book is packed with more than 100 colorful photos, age-appropriate maps and facts about each continent. It also includes activities to keep kids engaged and coming back for more. From learning to sing a new song in Spanish to building a mini-rainforest in a bottle, the possibilities for growth and fun are endless. 

Fly up and away with Apis the honeybee as she embarks on her journey through life! This award-winning, colorful picture book details the lifecycle of a honeybee with rich, poetic language and stunningly detailed illustrations. 

Apis emerges as a tiny bee and sets to work serving the hive. She takes care of larvae in the nursery, creates wax comb to house honey, transfers pollen and eventually grows to a point where she can finally leave the hive. She branches out and becomes an adventurer bee where she can gather nectar to make honey. 

In “The Floating Field,” the World Cup inspires a group of Thai boys to get into soccer. There’s just one problem: where will they play? In a village built on stilts on their small island of Koh Panyee, it seems impossible to find space to construct a field. The group of teens come together to create a floating soccer field on the water.

This inspiring, real-life story is an engaging and interesting read with a valuable message. With a little hard work and creativity, it’s possible to solve even the toughest problems to make great things happen. 

Henry is born into a slave family, but dreams of freedom. Deep down he knows that his life should belong to nobody other than him, and when he finds out that his family has been sold, he decides to act. Armed with heroic bravery and strength, Henry risks everything as he climbs into a wooden box and mails himself to freedom.

This inspiring true story tackles the painful topic of slavery in American history in a way that helps kids understand the importance of equality and standing up for what is right.

Why do we bleed when we scrape a knee? What happens to food after we eat it? What causes people to burp? For kids curious about how their bodies work, this fascinating book is the perfect primer.

With creative and fun illustrations and a full glossary, it’s age appropriate, entertaining and full of information every kid should know about the human anatomy. It includes a wealth of facts and figures about body processes, systems and parts to help answer all of their questions in a fresh, relatable way.

Many of us adults remember where we were when the 9/11 terrorist attacks took place. But for kids who are too young to have firsthand memories of this tragic day, this gripping addition to the I Survived series shows the chilling events through the eyes of a young boy. 

It’s a beautiful day in late summer and instead of getting on the bus to go to school, Lucas takes a train to New York to visit his favorite person, Uncle Benny. But just as Lucas arrives at his uncle’s fire station, a plane crashes into one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the twin towers, and Lucas must find his family amid the chaos.