16 New Nonfiction Books for Kids, September 2024
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Happy fall and happy new nonfiction books! Don’t you love new nonfiction? I have so many great books to share with you; nonfiction books publishing around August, September, and October 2024.
Get your library lists and bookstore orders ready. I know you’ll find so many books that your readers will love.
New Nonfiction for Ages 4 – 8
This Is My Brain! A Book on Neurodiversity written and illustrated by Elise Gravel 
BRAINS / NEURODIVERSITY
Colorful cartoon illustrations and kid-friendly language introduce readers to the brain, a squishy thing that has superpowers and controls everything the body does. Characters add their own dialogue to show how our brain learns, experiences senses, and feels. The book feels informative and playful instead of didactic. This book will make a great learning tool for parents and educators.
Volcanoes written by Nell Cross Beckerman, illustrated by Kalen Chock
EARTH SCIENCE
The writing in this spectacularly illustrated book SINGS and INFORMS and DELIGHTS. Vivid verbs, figurative language, poetry, and exposition, this nonfiction gem is a must-own because it’s a masterpiece of writing. Use it to teach earth science as well as writing craft. In fact, you’ll be able to model for growing writers the crafts of word choice, figurative language, voice, fluency, research to exposition, and more. This book is an essential, wonderful addition to all classrooms, libraries, and homes.
The Smell of Wet Dog and Other Dog Poems and Drawings written and illustrated by Barney Saltzberg
POETRY / DOGS
Dog-loving kids and their grown-ups will find humor and heart in this playful collection of poetry. You’ll read poems about fur, the rhythm of the wagging tail, an ode to the slow-motion drool, breed names, puppies, balls, and, of course, the smell of a wet dog. Celebrate all things dog with this charming, illustrated poetry book!
Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera written by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Nik Henderson
HISTORY
It’s London, 1854, and people in a neighborhood are dying of a disease called cholera, for which there was no cure. Dr. John Snow thought he figured out why the disease was spreading so he gathered evidence by interviewing the affected people. Even though there wasn’t a cure, when the water access was stopped, the cholera stopped spreading. This historical picture book shows a real life medical detective solving problems using deductive reasoning and evidence. It’s a great book to read to understand the scientific method, how discoveries are made, and history. The writing is excellent (of course), and the art gives the book a vintage feel.
Thomas Jefferson’s Battle for Science: Bias, Truth, and a Mighty Moose! written by Beth Anderson, illustrated by Jeremy Holmes
HISTORY
Thomas Jefferson was a founding father of the United States but in this story, you’ll learn that he was a passionate naturalist who loved science. When a European writer published misinformation about the nature of the Colonies, it infuriated Jefferson. So, he set out to prove the misinformation wrong and set the record straight with accuracy and evidence. He researched, questioned, and analyzed so he could write his own accurate book about the nature found in the Colonies. I love the unique writing style and the beautiful mixed-media illustrations in an earthy color palette.
Dear Vincent written by Michael Bird, illustrated by Ella Beech
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
With letters from Vincent’s brother and simple narration, we see that Vicent is an artist whose brother encourages him through letters. Vincent explores, finding people and landscapes to paint and painting the sunflowers he’s grown. Perfect illustrations in a style adjacent to Van Gogh’s adorn each page — it’s a visual feast!
A Kids Book About Diwali written by Chhavi Arya Bhargava
DIWALI
In the customary style of “A Kids Book About,” this book has no illustrations, only graphic design. That means the words are on white or colored backgrounds, sometimes with interesting typography or a few designs. The book’s conversational writing explains the celebration of Diwali, the history, and the traditions and rituals on each of the five days.
New Nonfiction for Ages 8 – 12
The Paper Girls Show Origami Craft Book
ORIGAMI
Oversized, colorful, and filled with the show’s cartoon characters and scenes from the show, this craft book shares step-by-step directions for fun origami projects based on the different show episodes. You’ll find directions to make 21 projects, including fish, butterfly, ghost, dress, nest, and more. But the crowning glory of this book is the 100 beautiful pages of origami paper — they’re so pretty! After the paper, there are also sticker pages. Even if you’re not a fan of the show, this book would be a great one to own.
Plant Pets written by Beatrice Boggs Allen and Belle Boggs
PLANTS
I love the concept of this book that plants aren’t just decor but pets. The illustrated book helps readers get started with supplies and care then talks about the unique plants to consider for a pet. From pothos to an air plant (I love mine), you’ll learn about the pet, the challenges, the best containers, creative containers, similar species, propagating, cool facts, and other ways to use the plant, among other things. Read about plant food and soil, too. This is a kid friendly and appealing guide to your first plant!
Mouse Town 30+ Kids Crafts Made From Recycled and Everyday Materials written by Jodi Levine & Margaret McCartney
DIY / CRAFT
If your kids are like my youngest and like tiny things and upcycling, they will love this darling book about making a mouse town. It’s a fabulous combination of story and craft projects about two mice friends! Build your own mouse town with a mouse house out of a milk crate and accessories like a bed, a dresser, and toys. Read how to build buildings for the town, like a bakery and library, and add lots of itty bitty things like fruit and toy food. All the craft projects list the materials needed and are well written, making them easy to follow with photographic directions, plus adorable cardboard mice photos.
History Smashers Salem Witch Trials written by Kate Messner
HISTORY – SALEM WITCH TRIALS
As usual, the writing in the History Smashers series is excellent and appealing. Filled with facts, historical documents, and cartoon panels, read the history of the Salem Witch Trials, starting with the context, then how it gained momentum with accusations and death sentences becoming what was called “witch fever,” and how it finally ended. Like most history, the parallels to other human behaviors throughout history and the present day are startling and educational which is why I think it’s so important to not just read the history but discuss and reflect on it.
Creaturepedia Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth written and illustrated by Adrienne Barman
ANIMALS
This looks like an encyclopedia at almost 300 pages, but it’s primarily a tome of brightly colored, stylized animal illustrations with their names, a few words to categorize them (big-eared, show-offs, coal-black, sprinters) and describe them (jumps to catch prey, mates for life, believed to carry diseases). It’s fun to look at but does not have backmatter, only a glossary of animal names. Would this appeal to your readers? I’m curious to find out.
Spooky Lakes 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes that Dot Our Planet written and illustrated by Geo Rutherford
NATURE / GEOGRAPHY / SPOOKY STORIES
Will your middle grade readers enjoy this entrancing writing about 25 weird and fascinating lakes and what makes them so interesting? Weird stories include shipwrecks, poison gas, treasure, salt, mummies, and underwater worlds. The gigantic pages with gorgeous illustrations and easy to read designs add to this book’s appeal. I strongly approve of the bibliography, glossary, and front matter with information about lakes, including facts such as the study of lakes is called limnology. Well done and highly recommended.
Mini Architects 20 Projects Inspired by the Great Architects written by Josephine Seblon, illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng
ARCHITECTURE
If my kids were little, I would use this book not just for a homeschool unit but for home enrichment, too. The book introduces different 20 architectural examples from the past, modern, and contemporary, including Stonehenge, la Sagrada Familia, and Dandaji market. Each structure includes a photo or drawing and more about the structure as well as things to discuss. Then, follow the step-by-step directions to make your own craft project to resemble the architecture. I love the combination of illustrations and photos, as well as the clear writing. This is a fascinating two-in-one book: informational with hands-on crafts.
Oh No They Didn’t Presidents written by Eric Huang, illustrated by Sam Caldwell
PRESIDENTS
With cheeky myth-busting facts (“oh, no they didn’t”) and appealing cartoon illustrations, you’ll learn some cool facts about the presidents of the United States. What kind of facts? 11 presidents didn’t earn college degrees, JFK was the last president to wear a hat a his inauguration, 15 VPs have become president, and presidential turkeys weren’t always a tradition. But, there are many more things to learn in this fun little book.
A Natural History of Dragons written by Emily Hawkins, illustrated by Jessica Rous
DRAGONS
I love these books where you can read about dragons as if they were real. This volume addresses the dragon’s body, life cycle, behavior, habitats, and species variations like any animal nonfiction book. The layout is visually appealing, the font is easy to read, and the illustrations are stunning. This resource would make a great addition to your bookshelves!
We purchased Creaturepedia in 2016 and have enjoyed it ever since. Our copy has 216 pages, I didn’t know there is an updated version that is about to hit the shelves (I am unable to find the new one.) We have numerous books about animals, and this one has made it through many a weeding-out. It is fun to sit and look through the different ways the author has categorized the creatures, and to spot animals we’ve never seen before. It gets pulled out with other more wordy books when we are looking up a critter we want to know more about. The illustrations are both spot-on and fun.
I wonder if this is an updated version — but nevertheless, THANK YOU for telling me how much you love it! I appreciate that insight.