When I want to read nonfiction, I gravitate towards the children’s section. Children’s nonfiction titles help develop a deeper knowledge of the world and serve as a great introduction to new topics. Nonfiction has always been difficult for me to read, but I have found that children’s nonfiction utilizes informational writing in such a way that doesn’t feel like a chore to read (at least to me). Below you will find a list of new children’s nonfiction that has just hit the shelves at the library.
As of this writing, all of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publishers. These titles were published in 2025.
Dawn written and illustrated by Marc Martin
With gorgeous artwork and a spare text, an award-winning picture-book creator gently celebrates the natural world through the lens of a sunrise.
As the sun slowly rises, many things happen in a small window of time. The world comes alive with the actions of animals, plants, clouds, and sky. A deer drinks, an owl wakes, a dandelion shimmers in the light. A ladybug climbs, a fish jumps, birds call in a chorus. Geese fly away in formation. A flower blooms. Beautifully illustrated with glowing imagery and written with a charming simplicity holding appeal for new readers, Marc Martin’s ode to the slow-blooming beauty of a sunrise and the life that unfolds in its radiance narrows the lens to show the wonder of time passing. – Candlewick Studio
The Friendship Train: A True Story of Helping and Healing after World War II by Debbie Levy
An impeccably researched, touching true story of the kindness of strangers around the world following World War II from a bestselling author and award-winning illustrator.
On one side of the ocean, a war had ended, leaving many in Europe without enough food.
On the other side of the ocean, Americans asked, How can we help?
The need was too great for any one person to fill-but what could people do if they joined together?
The answer was the Friendship Train, which ran from the West Coast to the East collecting good food for hungry bellies. Americans of all ages gave what they could. Especially children! They donated their allowances, sold newspapers, collected food from neighbors, loaded packages onto trucks and boxcars-all for strangers across the sea.
And in return, those strangers asked themselves How can we say “thank you”? Still recovering from the war, they didn’t have a lot to give, but they found a way-their own train full of ways-to express their gratitude.
This heartwarming nonfiction picture book from Debbie Levy and Boris Kulikov shows how small acts of kindness can grow, healing lives and helping turn strangers into friends. – Bloomsbury Children’s Books
The History of We by Nikkolas Smith
Fossil records show that the first humans were born in Africa. Meaning, every person on Earth can trace their ancestry back to that continent. The History of We celebrates our shared ancestors’ ingenuity and achievements and imagines what these firsts would have looked and felt like.
What was it like for the first person to paint, to make music, to dance, to discover medicine, to travel to unknown lands? It required courage, curiosity, and skill.
The History of We takes what we know about modern human civilization and, through magnificent paintings, creates a tale about our shared beginnings in a way that centers Black people in humankind’s origin story. – Kokila
Hurricane written and illustrated by Jason Chin
Caldecott and Sibert Medalist Jason Chin charts the thrilling saga of an island community’s brush with a category three hurricane, and the cutting-edge science that helps them prepare.
It’s a beautiful day on Hatteras Island, North Carolina. But while all seems calm now, a hurricane is barreling across the Atlantic, and everyone is wondering when it will hit the U.S. coast. And where.
Night and day, meteorologists use satellites to monitor the storm. Brave pilots fly directly into the tempest, dodging lightning bolts to gather crucial data. Back on the island, families board up windows, drag furniture upstairs, and stock survival kits to prepare for what may come.
From its dramatic opening, Hurricane alternates between striking maps charting the hurricane’s progress and daily life on the island.
Hurricane is at once a fascinating view into a natural disaster and a reassuring survey of the tools we use to mitigate the damage. As climate change makes hurricanes ever more destructive, this engaging and rigorous book is perfect for classrooms, and for families making their own safety plans. – Neal Porter Books
Imogen: The Life and Work of Imogen Cunningham written by Elizabeth Partridge, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu
A picture book biography of the iconic photographer Imogen Cunningham by National Book Award finalist Elizabeth Partridge.
Imogen Cunningham loved to observe the world. She noticed the colors in the woods outside her house and how light and shadows moved between the trees. She tried to capture this beauty on paper with pencils, but something was missing. One day she read about a woman in Paris who earned a living as a photographer, and she knew she was meant to do the same. With the support of her loving father, she then began her journey to become one of the most important photographers in America.
The life of iconic photographer Imogen Cunningham is brought vividly to life by National Book Award finalist Elizabeth Partridge, who also happens to be Cunningham’s granddaughter. With stunning illustrations by Caldecott Honor winner Yuko Shimizu, Imogen captures the passion of the creative process with a unique and intimate perspective. – Viking Books for Young Readers
In the World of Whales written by Michelle Cusolito, illustrated by Jessica Lanan
Plunge deep into the awe-inspiring true story of a freediver’s encounter with a newborn sperm whale and its family.
When a freediver (one who dives without the benefit of oxygen) slips underwater, he encounters a pod of sperm whales so close he can almost touch them. When he sees blood in the water, he wonders if there’s been an injury. When he comes even closer, what he finds instead is a moments-old calf, skin wrinkly and tail fluke still folded from the womb.
The calf’s family nudges it up to breathe; nudges it toward each member of the pod, by way of introduction; and then it happens—the mother nudges her child toward the diver, inviting him, too, to share in the family moment.
Told from the vantage point of Belgian freediver Fred Buyle, who with his diving partner Kurt Amsler are the only people known to be present at the birth of a sperm whale, In the World of Whales features lyrical-yet-precise text by Michelle Cusolito and dreamlike illustrations by Jessica Lanan, creator of the Sibert Honor book Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider. Any child who dreams of speaking to animals will adore this proof of humanity’s bond with the wild world. At the end of the story, find more information about freediving and whales. – Neal Porter Books
Making Light Bloom: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps written by Sandra Nickel, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
The untold story of Clara Driscoll, a nature lover with the mind of a creative innovator and the unsung genius who designed and engineered the iconic Tiffany lamp
Drawing inspiration from her childhood gardens, Clara Driscoll created designs for Louis C. Tiffany’s stained glass windows. Clara had such a flare for glass that Tiffany put her in charge of a special workroom, staffed with women—called the Tiffany Girls. But Clara wanted more. She wanted to create a three-dimensional work that would make light bloom. So she figured out how to engineer a lamp—how to shape and bend glass and light it so that her designs sprung to colorful, vivid life.
Today, we all recognize Tiffany lamps, but we almost forgot the woman who created them. Extensive back matter features more information about Clara Driscoll, her letters, and her design and manufacturing process, as well as bibliography and sources. – Peachtree
Malcolm Lives!: The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers by Ibram X Kendi
National Book Award–winning and #1 New York Times–bestselling author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi brings a global icon to life in the first major biography of Malcolm X for young people in more than thirty years–perfect for fans of blockbuster hit STAMPED: A REMIX with Jason Reynolds.
As a youth, Malcolm endured violence, loss, hunger, foster care, racism, and being incarcerated. He emerged from it all to make a lasting impact. As a Black Muslim. As a family man. As a revolutionary. Malcolm’s life story shows the promise of every human being. Of you!
To trace Malcolm’s childhood and adult years, Kendi draws on Malcolm’s stirring oratory style, using repetition and rhetoric. Short, swift chapters echo Malcolm’s trademark fast walk. An abundance of never-before-published letters, notes, flyers, photos, extensive source notes, and more give young readers a front-row seat to his life.
One hundred years after his birth in 1925, Malcolm’s antiracist legacy lives on in this thoughtful and accessible must-read for all people. For you!
Just like history, Malcolm lives. – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
The Music Inside Us: Yo-Yo Ma & His Gifts to the World written by James Howe, illustrated by Jack Wong
“I’ve been asking myself all my life, ‘What is the purpose of music?’” –Yo-Yo Ma
4 starred reviews! “Will move some readers to tears and make them think about the special gifts each person possesses.” (Kirkus)
At a young age, Yo-Yo Ma discovered a remarkable gift for the cello, playing Bach from memory by age four. His technique was far beyond his years, but even as he grew and became a world-class musician—studying at Juilliard, performing at Carnegie Hall at a young age, even playing on television before the president of the United States—he wanted to use his gift for something deeper, something bigger.
As he asked question after question, trying to understand his place in the world, he discovered something that every culture has in common: music.
Ma decided that he would spend his life not only performing for others, but learning from other cultures’ musical traditions and finding ways to unite people. Even as he dedicated himself to humanitarian work around the world, Ma also dedicated himself to teaching a new generation of young cellists to play with their whole hearts, bodies, and souls, like he does—how to find the music inside themselves.
From James Howe, bestselling author of Bunnicula, and Jack Wong, award-winning author/illustrator of When You Can Swim, comes the story of legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who is special not only because of his unmatched talent but also his curious mind and compassionate heart. Powerfully told and stunningly illustrated, this biography will inspire readers to discover the gifts inside us all.
Back matter includes an author’s and an illustrator’s note, a timeline of Ma’s life, and resources to learn more about his life and work. – Abrams Books
Smash, Crash, Topple, Roll!: The Inventive Rube Goldberg: A life in Comics, Contraptions, and Six Simple Machines written by Catherine Thimmesh, illustrated by Shanda McCloskey
Award-winning author Catherine Thimmesh’s irresistibly engaging text and artist Shanda McCloskey’s energetic, cartoon-style artwork introduce readers to the life and creative legacy of Rube Goldberg, the world-famous inventor of crazy contraptions. A rollicking educational kids’ book that is part biography, part inspiration, and part physics how-to, Smash, Crash, Topple, Roll! posits the ultimate question … why do anything the simple way? (Especially if, for instance, there is a catapult option?)
Because, of course, there are lots of things you can do the simple way:
Set an alarm,
flip a switch,
open a door,
toast some bread . . .
But what if, instead, you did things the Rube Goldberg way?
Endlessly entertaining,
needlessly complex,
and achieving a delicate balance of physics, humor, and excitement!
The book includes an overview of the six simple machines that power most of Goldberg’s inventions and puts the tools for making real-life Rube Goldberg machines right into readers’ hands. It’s the perfect thing to spark the imaginations of budding inventors, artists, and thinkers of all ages—because the most promising relationships with science start not with a textbook but with the willingness to break stuff and ask silly questions! – Chronicle Books
This is Orange: A Field Trip Through Color written by Rachel Poliquin, illustrated by Julie Morstad
Prepare your senses for a delicious shock of orange in all its glory and variety—in a playful color tribute destined to wow art and design enthusiasts of all ages.
Look closely. The color orange is all around you, not only in the natural world—from fruit and foxes to minerals and mushrooms—but in the human-engineered world, too, from works of art to religious ceremonies to astronaut survival suits. Ranging through time and circumnavigating the globe, witty stream-of-consciousness text and jaunty illustrations explore color through surprising social, historical, cultural, and artistic lenses. With more than thirty vivid examples and a gentle introduction to color theory, this eye-opening voyage into the heart of orange is a clever appeal to experience other colors—and the world at large—with an open and expansive mind. – Candlewick
The Sky Was My Blanket: A Young Man’s Journey Across Wartime Europe by Uri Shulevitz
Born in the tumult of World War I, a young Jewish boy named Yehiel Szulewicz chafes at the borders of his hometown of Żyrardów, Poland, and at the rules set in place by his restrictive parents. Brimming with a desire for true adventure, he leaves home at fifteen-and-a-half years old to seek his future elsewhere. Little does Yehiel know, he’ll never see his parents again.
His journey takes him beyond Polish borders, to Austria, Croatia, France, and Spain. With no money and no ID papers, he often sleeps under the stars, with only the sky as his blanket. But even wayfaring Yehiel can’t outrun the evil spreading across Europe in the years leading up to World War II. As the fascists and Nazis rise to power, Yehiel soon finds himself a member of the Spanish Republican Army and then the Jewish Resistance in Vichy France, fighting for freedom, his friends, and his very life.
Inspired by the true story of Uri Shulevitz’s uncle and stunningly illustrated by the author, The Sky Was My Blanket is a unique and riveting account of one man’s courage and resilience amidst one of the darkest periods in global history. – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)