Welcome to Day 4 of my Nonfiction Books for Kids series! All throughout the week, I will be introducing you to exciting nonfiction books and series for kids. These books will pique a child’s curiosity, encourage them to engage in further research, and introduce them to features of nonfiction text that will help them to read and understand. If you missed the previous days in the series (and the giveaway), click here to find all the links!

Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post. I received a copy of these books in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Why You Should Have Reference Books at Home

Did you ever look through an encyclopedia when you were younger? I remember we had a set of encyclopedias on the shelf when I was little, and several times I would flip through the books and read the entries on various topics. Then when we got a computer encyclopedia, I would scroll through the topics on there. Just having access to these reference books inspired me to learn.

There are lots of great reference books available to get kids interested in learning about the world around them. The more access that they have to these types of books, the greater the chance that they will begin to explore them on their own. Today I wanted to share 3 reference books that we had the opportunity to check out!

Reference Books for Kids

Similarities and Differences

What’s the Difference?: 40+ Pairs of the Seemingly Similar was written by Emma Strack and illustrated by Guillaume Pantevin. This fascinating exploration of the world around us pairs two similar items together and outlines their similarities and differences. The book is broken up into 6 sections: Animals, Food & Drink, Geography, Fashion, Human Body, and City.

Each two page spread features a different pair. The text compares them side by side, and also includes random facts and large illustrations, done in muted color palettes. The text is small and aimed at an older audience, but the introduction to similarities and differences makes this a great reference book to share as a family.

Learning about the Ocean

Ocean: A Visual Miscellany was written Ricardo Henriques and Andre Letria. This visual exploration of the ocean uses a blue color palette to introduce readers to the oceans on our planet, the marine life living in them, and the struggles that people face living on them.

The text is full of interesting facts, and even includes activities for bringing the learning off of the page. The illustrations include labeled diagrams and maps, as well as textured artwork showing the real and imagined dangers of the ocean. Some of the images may be a little frightening for young ones, so this is better suited for older children.

Exploring the World

Everything & Everywhere: A Fact-Filled Adventure for Curious Globe-Trotters was written by Marc Martin. This visual journey around the world encourages readers to explore different countries and cultures. Each two page spread features a different country, continent, or city, with lots of interesting facts and observations sprinkled over the pages.

The illustrations are the main focus in this book, as tons of small images take over each page. The nonlinear approach to world travel encourages kids to keep coming back to this one to discover something new each time they read it. The book even ends with a call out to all the places left in the world to explore. This is a great book for kids who are interested in the rest of the world, and the different animals, customs, and landmarks found throughout.

Tomorrow

Come back tomorrow for the last day of my Nonfiction Books series when I will be introducing a variety of engaging nonfiction children’s books about nature!

Don’t forget to check out the LOOK! Books giveaway!