Nonfiction Picture Books
- Before Music: Where Instruments Come From by Annette Bay Pimentel, ill. Madison Safer
Music from rocks. Music from shells. Music from seed pods, cocoons, and ore. Come see a fantastic array of worldwide instruments, many of which you will have NEVER heard of before. Call Number: x784.19 Pimen.A
- Blue by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, ill. Daniel Minter
The color blue has meant so many different things to so many different people around the world. Take a deep dive into its history and the good, and bad, stories that lie behind the color of the sky. Call Number: x535.6 Brewh.N
- Call Me Miss Hamilton: One Woman’s Case for Equality and Respect by Carole Boston Weatherford, ill. Jeffery Boston Weatherford
Can you fight to have people call you a name with respect? Mary Hamilton did. The story of one brave woman’s fight to be called “Miss Hamilton,” accompanied by emotive scratchboard art and photos. Call Number: xBiog Hamil.M Weath.C
- Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy, ill. Janelle Washington
The life of Emmett Till’s mother highlights one woman’s lifetime of making brave, rather than easy, choices. Meticulous papercuts tell her story with dignity. Call Number: xBiog Tillm.M Joy.A
- Concrete: From the Ground Up by Larissa Theule, ill. Steve Light
A highly amusing history of a material we all take for granted. From the Partheon to the Berlin Wall, get the low down on concrete, what it’s made of, what it’s capable of, and where it might go in the future. Call Number: x620.136 Theul.L
- Dragon Bones: The Fantastic Fossil Discoveries of Mary Anning by Sarah Glenn Marsh, ill. Maris Wicks
Born in 1799, no one would have expected Mary Anning to be remembered as the mother of paleontology. The story of a scientist that couldn’t stop digging up impressive, ancient sea creatures. Call Number: xBiog Annin.M Marsh.S
- Fighting for Yes! The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, ill. Vivien Mildenberger
Can you imagine being told NO your entire life? The story of Judith Heumann’s life, told so stirringly, it’s sure to make activists out of each and every reader. Call Number: xBiog Heuma.J Cocca.M
- Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill by Matt Lilley, ill. Dan Tavis
How much do you know about krill? Did you know that they are shapeshifters? Or that they shed armor? Take a deep dive into the organisms on whom the fate of our planet may rest. Call Number: x595.3 Lille.M
- A History of Underwear with Professor Chicken by Hannah Holt, ill. Korwin Briggs
Thongs, corsets, hezi, and paper. Underwear from everywhere is celebrated in this poultry-filled tour, hosted by the delightful Professor Chicken. Call Number: x391.42 Holt.H
- If You’re a Kid Like Gavin: The True Story of a Young Trans Activist by Gavin Grimm and Kyle Lukoff, ill. J. Yang
If you’re a kid like Gavin you shouldn’t have to make the choice to stand up for yourself as a trans boy who deserves to use the boy’s bathroom, but that’s just what he did. The inspiring tale of a modern child hero, expertly told. Call Number: x306.76 Grimm.G
- Jack Knight’s Brave Flight: How One Gutsy Pilot Saved the U.S. Air Mail Service by Jill Esbaum, ill. Stacy Innerst
A gripping, edge-of-your-seat telling of the daring flight by one man to save air mail service in America. Call Number: x383.144 Esbau.J
- Listen to the Language of the Trees: A Story of How Forests Communicate Underground by Tera Kelley, ill. Marie Hermansson
Think trees can’t communicate? Think again. Trees have a whole underground system of sending nutrients, messages, and even alarm systems to one another. Learn more about this amazing wood wide web. You’ll never look at a tree the same way again. Call Number: x582.16 Kelle.T
- Marcel’s Masterpiece: How a Toilet Shaped the History of Art by Jeff Mack
What is art? Let Marcel Duchamp help you answer that question. He once turned a toilet into an artistic statement, and the world was never the same again. Call Number: x709.04 Ducha.M
- Mega-Predators of the Past by Melissa Stewart, ill. Howard Gray
Forget the dinosaurs! Meet the REAL (and enormous) mega-predators of the past. All but one is extinct… but which one? Call Number: x560 Stewa.M
- Out of the Shadows: How Lotte Reiniger Made the First Animated Fairytale Movie by Fiona Robinson
Who knew that a love of fairy tales could turn into something so amazing? The story of one of the world’s earliest animators and how she brought her tales to life in a whole new way. Call Number: xBiog Reini.L Robin.F
- Pink, Blue, and You!: Questions for Kids About Gender Stereotypes by Elise Gravel with Mykaell Blais
The gender spectrum is explained in clear, concise language for the young in this fun breakdown of a sometimes complicated topic. Call Number: x305.3 Grave.E
- Shapes, Lines, and Light: My Grandfather’s American Journey by Katie Yamasaki
“Serenity. Surprise. Delight.” Japanese-American architect Minoru Yamasaki used that mantra throughout his life. Now his granddaughter is able to tell his story, with all its ups and downs. Call Number: xBiog Yamas.M Yamas.K
- Washed Ashore: Making Art from Ocean Plastic by Kelly Crull, art by Angela Haseltine Pozzi
There’s a lot of plastic in the ocean. What to do? Artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi collected it, then turned it into magnificent sculptures of sea creatures. Waste and beauty go hand in hand with a keen environmental message. Call Number: x731.2 Crull.K
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