(This article contains affiliate links) This November is National Non Fiction Month and to celebrate BookTrust has shared a non fiction booklist from their Great Books Guide with us, alongside their top reasons for getting children reading non fiction all year round on our blog. 
We love BookTrust because we know how important it is to encourage kids to read from as early as possible in their lives.
But why bother to get your children reading non fiction books:
- Non fiction books are an excellent tool to help children understand the world around them,
- Non fiction books can help reluctant readers enjoy reading. Children respond well to books that reflect their passions so try finding a book about their hobbies to help them start turning pages,
- Non fiction books are fun and entertaining, perfect to read as a family together, and
- Non fiction books are full of beautiful illustrations to enchant your children.
BookTrust has picked out these engaging non-fiction books which approach subjects like nature, science and history in a variety of interesting ways and are suitable for children aged 4-11. Why don’t we take a closer look at them?
Creature Features by Natasha Durely (Big Picture Press) Age 4-5
This large format book about nature features tough card pages full of brightly illustrated animals, organised by their special features. Excellent for young readers building their vocabulary and learning about the natural world.
The Variety of Life by Nicola Davies, Illustrated by Lorna Scobie (Hodder Children’s Books) Age 6-7
Jam-packed with fun facts and figures, and stunning illustrations, this book not only encourages children to treasure the world’s biodiversity, but also indicates which species are threated by extinction.
The Zoological Times: The Animal Kingdom’s Wildest Newspaper by Stella Gurney and illustrated by Matthew Hodson (Lincoln Children’s Books) Age 6-7
This funny newspaper-style non-fiction book features tons of facts, puzzles, jokes and activities about all manner of animals, from giraffes to lions.
Dogs in Space: The Amazing True Story of Belka and Strelka by Vix Southgate, Illustrated by Iris Deppe (Wren and Rock) Age 6-7
This informative and appealing picture book details the true story of two space dogs journey through training to orbiting the earth and returning to safety.
Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor by Patricia Valdez, Illustrated by Felicita Sala (Andersen Press) Age 6-7
Atmospheric illustrations accompany informative text in this inspiration picture book biography of a pioneering female scientist.
Sports are Fantastic Fun! By Ole Konnecke (Gecko Press) Age 6-7
Full of brilliant detail about a vast range of sports this humorously illustrated picture book gives children a good introduction to the rules ad ethos of all manner of sports.
Corpse Talk: Ground- Breaking Women by Adam and Lisa Murphy ( David Fickling Books) Age 8-9
In this comic book, chat show host Adam Murphy interviews 18 historical women, including Joan of Arc, Pocahontas and Anne Frank, all freshly dug up from the grave.
Real-Life Mysteries: Can You Explain the Unexplained? By Susan Martineau and illustrated by Vicky Barker (Small publishing) Age 8-9
This fascinating collection of case files covers everything from crop circles to monsters, with a view to examining and evaluating all the evidence.
Splat the Fake Fact by Adam Frost, Illustrated by Gemma Correll ( Bloomsbury) Age 8-9
With a series of interactive activities, this book not only allows children to find out what is and isn’t true, but also gets them to doodle, lasso and deface the fake facts.
Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present by Jamia Wilson, illustrated by Andrea Pippins
This beautiful book celebrates a selection of black icons from history and the present day to inspire all children to discover what they can achieve.
Alastair Humphrey’s Great Adventures by Alastair Humphreys illustrated by Kevin Ward (Big Picture Press) Age 8-9
An inspiring introduction to 20 adventurers and explorers from the last 700 years. This book will encourage readers to think a little more boldly and go a little further themselves.
Beyond the Sky: You and the Universe by Dara O Briain, illustrated by Dan Bramall (Scholastic) Aged 10-11
Packed with fascinating facts covering fundamental scientific questions, O Briain’s genuine love for science shines through, and his chatty, accessible style is perfectly complemented by the witty illustrations.
BookTrust’s Great Books Guide 2018 has 100 book recommendations for children aged 0-12 and was delivered to 22,000 schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland during October. This year the guide is beautifully illustrated by Mini Grey and features books from a host of wonderful authors and illustrators including current Waterstones Children’s Laureate Lauren Child, Taran Matharu, Judith Kerr and Chris Riddell. There are books in there about animals, space, mysteries and icons.
Download your copy of BookTrust’s Great Books Guide 2018 here.
We hope you like this article, we love helping you to encourage reading, and these best non fiction books for kids are designed to do JUST THAT. Why not sign up to our newsletter, so you get more articles, and printables every week?
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Helen
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!