I’ve yet to meet a primary school age child who doesn’t love sharing a fact (or 30). The number of facts I’m bombarded with at bedtime by my two children never fails to impress me – why do they save up all the chat for that one minute before it’s time to sleep, hey?! One of the best ways to feed their growing appetite for knowledge is through non-fiction books for children. Whether you read to your children at bedtime or encourage independent reading, there are some absolutely amazing non-fiction books for kids available.
Whatever they’re into, fact books really open up the world for children, helping them learn new things and discover amazing places, people and animals in a fun, accessible and age-appropriate way. My children’s bookshelves are full of creative, funny, thought-provoking and eye-opening non-fiction books – so much so I found it very hard to pick just 10. Here are my favourite non-fiction books for children, that my 8 year old and 4 year old reach for time and again.
If you’re in a hurry: The 10 best non-fiction books for children in 2024
- The World’s Most
WonderfulPointless Animals by Philip Bunting, published by Happy Yak – buy here - Secret Stories of Nature written by Saskia Gwinn and illustrated by Vasilisa Romanenko, published by Wide Eyed – buy here
- Everything You Know About Sharks is Wrong written by Dr. Nick Crumpton and illustrated by Gavin Scott, published by Nosy Crow – buy here
- Little People, Big Dreams: Rosa Parks written by Lisbeth Kaiser and illustrated by Marta Antelo, published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books – buy here
- Look Inside: Science written by Minna Lacey and Illustrated by Stefano Tognetti, published by Usborne – buy here
- Young, Gifted and Black, Too written by Jamia Wilson and illustrated by Andrea Pippins, published by Wide Eyed – buy here
- History’s Biggest Show-offs written by Andy Seed and illustrated by Sam Caldwell, published by Happy Yak – buy here
- Atlas of Ocean Adventures written by Emily Hawkins and illustrated by Lucy Letherland, published by Wide Eyed – buy here
- Little Kids First Big Book of Space written by Catherine D. Hughes and illustrated by David A. Aguilar, published by National Geographic Kids – buy here
- I Am Not a Label written by Cerrie Burnell and illustrated by Lauren Mark Baldo, published by Wide Eyed – buy here
The World’s Most Wonderful Pointless Animals by Philip Bunting, published by Happy Yak
Philip Bunting is a legend as far as my kids are concerned. I honestly could have picked any of his non-fiction books for our kid-approved shortlist. This Australian author and illustrator manages to tap into the natural curiosity of kids, offering lots of engaging factual information about the animals in the book to really help open their eyes to some of the most ridiculous and wonderful creatures on the planet. Heads up Minecraft fans, even an axolotl makes an appearance. Mixing his colourful, contemporary illustrations with eye-opening facts and hilarious annotations this is a genuinely funny book that makes me properly laugh. Also never knew a Dumbo octopus existed, so you really do learn something new every day.
Secret Stories of Nature written by Saskia Gwinn and illustrated by Vasilisa Romanenko, published by Wide Eyed
I absolute love the painterly style of illustration in this amazing book, which explores the mysteries of nature and evolution stories in a fascinating way. The writing is captivating – somehow Saskia Gwinn manages to turn quite complex facts into gentle storytelling, making this a great bedtime read. My 8 year old is obsessed with this book – from the moment we got it he was hooked and it seems to have the same effect on his friends too.
Everything You Know About Sharks is Wrong written by Dr. Nick Crumpton and illustrated by Gavin Scott, published by Nosy Crow
What a difference it makes being part of a generation that didn’t grow up in the shadow of Jaws. While most 40-somethings I know have an in-built fear of sharks (“You’ll never go in the water again” anyone?) kids today seem to love them – well, most of the children I know anyway. In fact, my son wants to be a marine conservationist/shark protector when he grows up – a noble aim I fully support. This excellent non-fiction book by children’s author and zoologist Dr. Nick Crumpton, debunks all those misconceptions about sharks, including ‘Sharks kill lots of people’ and ‘Nothing eats sharks’, in a really accessible way. The illustrations are amazing too. The perfect buy for the shark fan – or shark sceptic – in your life. I am now a shark-loving convert.
Little People, Big Dreams: Rosa Parks written by Lisbeth Kaiser and illustrated by Marta Antelo, published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Little People, Big Dreams book series already. It’s such a clever yet simple premise of telling the stories of famous/important/influential people through history in an easy-to-understand and engaging way. We have quite a hefty collection of these books, but one of our favourites has to be about Rosa Parks. It can be quite the task to effectively tell the story of this incredible American activist and the civil rights movement she was so crucially involved in in a way that kids can grasp, but this book really does it well. It sparked outrage from my two children that this actually happened, and I find it a really helpful book in opening up the conversation about how racism and white privilege is still a huge problem today and what we can all do to help make a change.
Look Inside: Science written by Minna Lacey and Illustrated by Stefano Tognetti, published by Usborne
Lift the flap books are like cat nip for kids and no one does it better than Usborne. This book covers topics like the human body, sound, light and materials, with over 100 flaps to lift and find out more. It’s a great choice for younger kids – Reception to Year 2 – to help introduce the basics of science in a colourful and interactive way. I swear facts stick in the brain more when they are in lift the flap format.
Young, Gifted and Black, Too written by Jamia Wilson and illustrated by Andrea Pippins, published by Wide Eyed
Black history is woefully unrepresented in the UK school curriculum, in particular primary school, so I believe it’s important to fill your child’s bookcase with as many diverse books as possible. I really love this joyful follow up to Young, Gift and Black, which is a proper celebration of Black achievement from the 1500s up to today. Inside there’s biographies of 52 Black icons – everyone from artists and athletes to inventors and leaders – some you may have heard of and others no so familiar. My 8 year old loves the ‘cool’ illustrations inside, although some of the words are still a little tricky for him so we tend to read this together at the moment. It’s a brilliant choice for older primary school kids and above for independent reading.
History’s Biggest Show-offs written by Andy Seed and illustrated by Sam Caldwell, published by Happy Yak
This is such a great concept for a kid’s history book, covering ‘The boldest, bravest and brainiest people of all time’. It features an eclectic mix of historical characters including Henry VIII, Marie Curie and Frida Kahlo, and tells their stories through easy-to-read bios. There’s lots of funny annotations, which my 8 year old loves, and the illustrations are spot on – colourful, fun and perfect for making history feel very entertaining. Genuinely a fantastic book for primary school children.
Atlas of Ocean Adventures written by Emily Hawkins and illustrated by Lucy Letherland, published by Wide Eyed
This book is a thing of beauty! Will you look at that front cover? OK, so I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but this one is pretty epic. However, inside more than matches up, where children are taken on an exciting journey around the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic Oceans. The detailed illustrations bring these underwater worlds and their habitants to life, along with plenty of interesting facts and annotations. It’s properly packed with information and has my children enthralled every time we read it.
Little Kids First Big Book of Space written by Catherine D. Hughes and illustrated by David A. Aguilar, published by National Geographic Kids
Struggling to remember a time when we didn’t own this book to be honest. Our copy is so well thumbed it’s falling apart, that’s how loved it’s been over the years. National Geographic Kids know exactly what they are doing, and this book makes everything space and solar system related clear, easy to understand and fun. The large font and big pictures make this particularly appealing to younger primary school children – it’s a classic for a reason.
I Am Not a Label written by Cerrie Burnell and illustrated by Lauren Mark Baldo, published by Wide Eyed
Filled with short biographies of 34 artists, thinkers, athletes and activists with disabilities (from past and present) this is such a fascinating and important book for children to own. Breaking down the preconceptions and misconceptions around disability and mental health, it shines a light on people who have not let these challenges get in their way. I’ve found it such a helpful book in talking about differences with my children, but I think my son just likes reading the stories about amazing people like Stephen Hawking and Helen Keller. Love the illustrations too.
So there it is, my 10 current favourite non-fiction books for kids. I could have doubled the list easily, but the dog needs to be walked and I need a cup of tea. Would love to hear your recommendations, so add them to the comments and let me know what you think of my round-up.
FYI. This post includes affiliate links
The Kids Are Good 
Leave a comment