Best Informational Books for Younger Readers of 2021Like this list

34 items

• Areli Is a Dreamer

  a True Story

  Morales, Areli,

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  This book details our author’s experiences growing up as a young girl in Mexico and her eventual reunion with her parents in New York. Through colorful and vibrant artwork, illustrator Luisa Uribe brings to life Areli’s difficult…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Begin With a Bee

  Ketchum, Liza, 1946-

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  Every winter, a queen bumble bee, no bigger than an inch, hibernates underground, slowly growing within herself all that is needed to form a colony in the spring. When the weather warms, she will bring this colony of bumble bees to life,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Butterfly for a King

  Saving Hawaiʻi's Kamehameha Butterflies

  Roth, Susan L.,

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  Found only in Hawai’i, the orange and black Kamehameha butterfly is a pollinator that travels between all the islands – uniting them just like its namesake, King Kamehameha. After the Kamehameha butterfly was voted official state insect in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Child of the Flower-song People

  Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua

  Amescua, Gloria,

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  Luz Jiménez was a member of the Nahua people who are descendants of the Aztecs. She fought to keep her traditions and, eventually, she taught others the beauty and strength of her people. The book uses illustrations reminiscent of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dear Mr. Dickens

  Churnin, Nancy,

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  We’ve all got heroes in our lives - people we look up to, admire, emulate. But what do you do when one of your heroes falls off their pedestal? Follow Eliza Davis and her epistolary relationship with Charles Dickens as she attempts to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee

  Leung, Julie,

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  At a time when less than one percent of pilots were women, and Chinese Americans had limited options for jobs, Hazel Ying Lee became “the first Chinese American woman to fly for the US military.” She faced both danger and discrimination…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Floating Field

  How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field

  Riley, Scott, 1970-

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  With limited space to play soccer in their small fishing village off the coast of Thailand, a group of kids decide to build their own floating field. This beautifully illustrated book will inspire young engineers and have readers routing…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• From the Tops of the Trees

  Yang, Kao Kalia, 1980-

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  Kalia has never seen the world outside of the refugee camp where she was born, until her father takes her to the top of the tallest tree. Drawing from her own experiences in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand, Hmong American writer Kao…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Great Stink

  How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem

  Paeff, Colleen,

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  Imagine that the water you use to drink from and bathe in is filled with garbage including poop. That was the problem that the people in London faced when overpopulation caused the sewers to empty into the river causing an outbreak of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hear the Wind Blow

  Boyle, Doe,

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  From a breeze to a hurricane and everything in between, this book breaks down the Beauford wind force scale using kids friendly and poetic language.

• Journey Around the Sun

  the Story of Halley's Comet

  Gladstone, James, 1969-

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  Haley’s Comet appears roughly every 75 years. Lyrical prose combines with informative asides to trace records of its appearance throughout history. Muted, dreamy illustrations span space and time using comic-style panels to highlight how…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Jump at the Sun

  the True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston

  Williams, Alicia, 1970-

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  Young Zora loved listening to the townsfolks’ tales and making up her own stories while growing up in Eatonville, Florida. Most of her family didn’t approve of her passion, but Zora decided to take matters into her own hands. She got…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• June Almeida, Virus Detective!

  the Woman Who Discovered the First Human Coronavirus

  Slade, Suzanne,

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  Meet June Almeida, the groundbreaking virologist whose research has helped inform scientists about the coronavirus and other viruses. Growing up with a passion for science fiction, biology, and photography, June started working in hospital…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Last Straw

  Kids Vs. Plastics

  Hood, Susan, 1954-

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  Plastic is everywhere. We need plastic for helmets, smartphones, surgical gloves, and other useful items. But plastic doesn’t belong in a whale’s stomach, and especially not in our dinner! Learn more about plastic pollution from the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Make Meatballs Sing

  the Life & Art of Corita Kent

  Burgess, Matthew,

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  This picture book biography of artist, activist and nun Coreta Kent is a colorful and inspiring look at a unique woman. The text and illustrations work hand and hand to share information about the art and life of Corita Kent.

• Niki Nakayama

  a Chef's Tale in 13 Bites

  Michalak, Jamie,

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  Both as a child and adult, Niki Nakayama faced many challenges on her path of becoming one the most well-known and respected chefs in the culinary world. Learn about Niki’s journey through thirteen “bites” based on the traditional kaiseki…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Nina

  a Story of Nina Simone

  Todd, Traci N.,

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  This is the story of how a little girl named Eunice Kathleen Wayman grew up to become musical legend Nina Simone, who used her powerful voice to sing out against racial injustice.

• Pando

  a Living Wonder of Trees

  Fox, Kate Allen,

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  We don’t often think of a walk in a forest as offering us a sci-fi experience. But what if you learned that the peaceful aspens that sway gently around you are actually clones, all made from a single organism, and intricately connected by…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The People Remember

  Zoboi, Ibi Aanu,

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  The people came from different cultures and spoke different languages, but when they were kidnapped and forced to cross the ocean for a new continent, they began to form a culture of their own. Their story – and that of their descendants –…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The People's Painter

  How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice With Art

  Levinson, Cynthia,

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  After emigrating to the United States as a child to escape persecution in the Russian Empire, Ben Shahn was working as a lithographer when he was inspired to create a series of paintings depicting the injustices in the notorious Sacco and…Read moreRead more of this annotation