Using five million data points—gathered from questionnaires, reading experts, book reviews, and parental feedback—Literati combines human expertise and innovative technology to curate the best books for kids. Every month, readers receive a box of five books aligned to their interests and reading level, and parents only purchase the books their child loves. 

Literati strives to ensure every book selection is an exciting, perfectly challenging adventure, allowing every child to fall in love with books and excel at reading. Below are this year’s favorites from across eight categories.

Literati’s Kids’ Favorite Books of 2022

Board Books

1. The ABCs of Love by Rose Rossner; illustrated by AndoTwin
2. Wild Animals by Ingela P. Arrhenius
3. My Magical Dragon by Yujin Shin

Girl Power Books

1. Marie Curie: My First Marie Curie by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara; illustrated by Frau Isa
2. Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist by Linda Skeers; illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns
3. Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels by Linda Skeers; illustrated by Livi Gosling

Dinosaur Books

1. Play Felt Roarsome Dinosaurs! by Amber Lily & Dan Crisp
2. Bizzy Bear: Dinosaur Safari from Nosy Crow; illustrated by Benji Davies
3. Illumisaurus: Explore the World of Dinosaurs with Your Magic Three Color Lens by Lucy Brownridge

Social-Emotional Learning Books

1. The Cool Bean by Jory John; illustrated by Pete Oswald
2. Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave by Jessica Hische
3. Learn to Go to School by Margot Channing; illustrated by Ilana Excelby

STEM Books

1. Weird But True 10 from National Geographic Kids
2. Our Weather from Little Hippo Books
3. Good Night to Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak & Terrence Deak; illustrated by Neely Daggett

Activity Books

1. Puzzle Masters Dot to Dot by Sarah Wade
2. Write and Draw Your Own Comics by Howard Hughes
3. What’s So Funny Diary from Peaceable Kingdom

Chapter Books

1. A Collection of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories
2. Stairway to Doom: A Miss Mallard Mystery by Robert Quackenbush
3. Stick Dog by Tom Watson

Fiction Books

1. A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry; illustrated by Mónica Armiño
2. Nine by Zach Hines
3. The Terrible Two by Jory John; illustrated by Mac Barnett

List of Winners Includes Most Kept by Kids Book Club Customers in 2022

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That’s why our literary experts here at Literati put together this list of exciting nonfiction on every topic under the sun, moon, and stars. Whether you’re looking for nonfiction books for 10-year-olds, budding readers, or interactive learners, we’ve got something that’s sure to satisfy your amateur scientist. Or engineer. Or entomologist.

First Explorers: Night Animals

By Jenny Wren

For diaper-wearing nature lovers, First Explorers: Night Animals encourages fine motor skills while introducing marvelous nocturnal animals. A perfect bedtime read, this sturdy board book invites readers to explore the natural world at night. Beautiful full-color illustrations paint nighttime settings of a farm, meadow, and garden, allowing kids to draw a whole new perspective of the world around them. Interactive flaps, pull-outs, and pop-ups will keep readers ages 0 to 3 engaged as they learn about how owls, foxes, and bats navigate the night. Looking for more ways to build babies’ reading habits early? Check out our tips on reading aloud to babies.

The Ultimate Book of Cities

By Anne-Sophie Baumann

Grocery stores, post offices, and buses may seem like mundane places—but for young readers widening their horizons, they’re part of a brave, new world. If your child is beginning to ask questions like “Where does the mail go?” or “How do traffic lights work?” The Ultimate Book of Cities offers answers. Packed with pop-ups and flaps that give kids a sneak peek inside buildings and even underground, every page interactively explores the inner workings of a city. For 5- to 8-year-olds beginning to read independently, each page contains new vocabulary words and context clues to help decipher them.

This is Not a Science Book

By Clive Gifford

Looking for a book to get older kids off their electronics and onto hands-on activities? Look no further! This is Not a Science Book is one of our favorite nonfiction books for 10-year-olds to 12-year-olds. (But a word to the wise: older siblings and parents will want to get in on the fun, too.) Grab a pencil and get ready for brain-teasers, visual puzzles, experiments, and optical illusions. Hand your child this book on your next long car ride—and don’t be surprised if they don’t look up for a few hours. Once they do, give your junior scientist some fiction to mix it up from our list of best sci-fi books for 4th and 5th graders.

The Big Sticker Book of Bugs

By Yuval Zommer

Artistic yet informational, The Big Sticker Book of Bugs brings a creative, sticky twist to learning. Guided by Freddy the Fly, readers from Kindergarten and up can color, decorate, and arrange bug stickers across different habitats. Find drawing activities and insect facts with vocabulary for readers who are beginning to sound out words on their own. And don’t shriek with fear! This book is not single-use. All 500 stickers are reusable, allowing for endless bug arrangements and discoveries. Whether you have an insect-lover or a not-so-fond-of-creepy-crawlies kiddo, this interactive sticker book is too engaging to resist.

Maze Quest History: Travel Through Time

By Anna Brett

For George and his pup Milly, it’s just a normal day at the Natural History Museum—until they’re suddenly rocketed into the past! To get home, they’ll need the reader’s help. Your little historian must take to the helm and help George and Milly navigate time itself. With over 48 mazes to solve, this interactive book sprinkles historical facts across several time periods, from ancient Egypt to the American Civil War. Perfect for readers ages 7 and up who are reading independently and love to share facts they’ve learned from books.

Build Imaginations and Confidence With Literati Book Clubs

The best nonfiction gives kids a glimpse into the fascinating, surprising, and exciting world outside their bedroom windows. As a Literati Kids book club member, you’ll never run out of amazing nonfiction books for 10-year-olds, pre-K, and early elementary schoolers—or any other reading level, for that matter.

Whether your child wants to dive into the mysteries of the deep, dig into the past, or blast off into space, Literati is here to help them reach their fullest academic potential. Just take our quick personalization quiz to tell us more about your reader’s interests and reading level, and we’ll send a selection of books they’re sure to fall in love with. Get your young reader started on a real reading adventure today.

The post The Best Fun and Engaging Nonfiction Books For Kids appeared first on Literati.

For that, no genre quenches quite like nonfiction. Nonfiction books can help your young reader develop critical thinking skills and connection-making abilities. Whether their current fascination is astronomy, anatomy, or the concave vertebrae of the Allosaurus, this list of best nonfiction for kids will satisfy young quiz masters everywhere.

Life on Earth: Human Body

By Heather Alexander

Calling all parents of future doctors! If your little learner has ever played 20 Questions about potty time or tried to count the hairs on their head, this title is for them. With 100 questions and answers about the human body explained in simple yet engaging ways, Life on Earth: Human Body is the ultimate informational book for young readers ages 5 to 8. It’s packed with kid-friendly illustrations and has 70 exciting lift-flaps to inspire interaction and make learning even more enticing.

Illumisaurus

By Lucy Brownridge

T-Rex or triceratops? Your dinosaur lover can have every dino-shaped cake and eat it, too, as they go way back in time. The highlight of Illumisaurus comes when your paleontologist-in-training uses the three-colored viewing lens to explore a kaleidoscope of colorful illustrations. Each color on the lens allows them to discover different facts about the flora, fauna, and majestic reptiles themselves to advance your 5- to 8-year-old to more independent page-turning.

Good Night to Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

By JoAnn Deak

If your energizer bunny tries to outrun bedtime every night—you’re not alone. With this book, you can prove with science why their brains need quality sleep. With easy-to-understand factoids, they’ll learn the different parts of the brain, each section’s important job, and how rest helps their brains grow stronger. Perfect for preschool to elementary-aged children, this book contains engaging illustrations to help them grasp scientific concepts and learn new words. After reading this book, they’ll (hopefully) be convinced that bedtime is something to look forward to!

Pluto Gets the Call

By Adam Rex

Your young reader may not have been around to remember when Pluto was canceled as a planet—but we bet you were! After receiving a disappointing call from some of Earth’s top scientists, Pluto takes you on a wild ride through the solar system, complete with playful facts about each of the eight remaining planets. Despite his upsetting news, Pluto has a lighthearted sense of humor that shines in his out-of-this-world space tour. This book beautifully teaches kids about outer space while leaving room for discussion on overcoming disappointment and remaining optimistic about the great, big future.

Inside Animals

By Barbara Taylor

Invite your animal-appreciating reader to learn the ins and outs (literally) of some of their favorite creatures. From the skeletons of rattlesnakes to the lean muscles of penguins, Inside Animals explores the biology of more than 20 animals with kid-friendly illustrations they’ll want to observe, draw, and talk about with their science teacher. As your future zookeeper animatedly discovers how many hearts an octopus has and why a camel really has humps, you’ll understand why this book is on our list of best nonfiction for kids.

How the World Works

By Clive Gifford

If you’ve heard your inquisitive little one ask why or how more times than you can count, we have the perfect nonfiction book for you. From technology and space to wildlife and evolution, this book knows a little bit about everything—and it’s here to share the wealth. Take part in a volcanic eruption, say hello to a mob of meerkats, and find the answers to all of their questions as your 7- to 9-year-old rivetingly reads their way to enlightenment. (And even more eye-opening chapter books.)

Satisfy Your Child’s Curious Mind with Nonfiction from Literati Book Clubs

There’s a nonfiction book teeming with answers to all of your reader’s burning questions about life’s greatest mysteries, like “Why don’t crabs have eyebrows?” or “Can you yawn in your sleep?” With an endless supply of the best nonfiction books around, leave it to us to find the perfect titles for your curious reader so they can learn new words, explore their surroundings, and build passions beyond the pages.

As one of our kids book club members, your young reader will receive shipments of books curated just for them, so their next great read is ready at a moment’s notice. Take our quick personalization quiz and pour a tall glass of knowledge for your future nonfiction lover.

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Magic Tricks with Coins, Cards, and Everyday Objects

by Jake Banfield

In this book, Jake Banfield reveals sleight of hand tricks that can be performed with everyday objects. This fun-filled book will introduce your middle-grade reader to the world of “street magic,” tricks meant to wow an up-close audience.

Magic Tricks is an amazing read that joyfully reveals the secret world of magic to your child, supporting their critical thinking and instruction-following skills. Your sixth-grader will get so engrossed in these step-by-step tricks, you’ll think they made themselves disappear!

Adventures in Engineering for Kids: 35 Challenges to Design the Future

By Brett Schilke

Adventures in Engineering asks an important question: without limits, what can kids create? The answer is pretty much anything and everything, including the first human settlement on another planet.

This book recruits your child to an elite engineering team, the Irresistible Futures Agency. It’s their job to help design City X and solve the many challenges that lie ahead. With 35 design and engineering challenges, this is one of the best books for sixth-graders or seventh-graders who love science, puzzles, and making the impossible a reality.

LOL: A Keepsake Journal of Hilarious Q&As

By Brandon T. Snider

“Dear Diary” can get a little boring from time to time. How about a prompt to get that journal entry started—would you rather shave your head or wear the ugliest wig in the world for a week? Eat a slug, or keep a live cricket in your mouth for five minutes?

With super silly would-you-rathers, fill-in-the-blanks, and doodle ideas, this book beats a blank diary any day of the week. Your middle-grader will love coloring outside the lines in this keepsake journal and digging deep to answer thought-provoking questions.

THIS IS NOT A SCIENCE BOOK

By Clive Gifford

Don’t let the title fool you—this activity book teaches science through stealth. Your middle-grader will draw, puzzle, and build their way through this super-interactive book, and before they know it, become a science sage.

This book is a perfect pick for kids who are shy around the subjects of math and science. They’ll map out bones in the body, create their own optical illusions, and even build high-flying rotocopters. This book is a non-intimidating romp through the natural world, making it the best book for sixth graders or seventh graders who struggle with science.

Cardboard Box Engineering: Cool, Inventive Projects for Tinkerers, Makers & Future Scientists

By Jonathan Adolph

Junior engineers, gather ’round: this book is about to forever change your perception of the complex and ingenious building material that is—cardboard. You’ll be amazed at how many functioning machines your middle-grader can create using the recycling pile! This activity book helps develop your child’s three-dimensional thinking and eye for design as they create a working kaleidoscope, a wind-powered tractor, a robotic hand, and more.

This is one of the best books for seventh graders learning the basics of physics and engineering. The real-life applications are endless and the satisfaction gained from building one of these cardboard beauties is priceless.

Interactive Reading for a Lifetime of Learning

Whether you’re encouraging your junior engineer or supporting a budding young writer, there’s a book that complements every interest—it’s just a matter of finding them. With Literati’s personalized book clubs, you can ensure your reader’s getting the right stuff for their individual learning progress, box after box.

With a Literati Kids subscription, your child can discover books that fit their interests, match their reading level, and adapt to their progress as they grow. As sixth and seventh graders move into longer chapter books, we’ll send reads that make for an easy, and highly entertaining transition. 
So sign up, sit back, and watch your child’s passion for reading bloom with books that challenge new skills every month—just take the personalization quiz to get started!

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By the time your little one is entering second, third, or fourth grade, the best books are ones that encourage independent exploration and creation. Reading is a tool to help your child discover how things work, and when it comes to new discoveries, it helps to be a little hands-on. 

Enter the world of interactive books: the perfect hybrid between reading and doing, where your child can draw, play, and sticker their way into the reading world. Interactive books and activity books are an exciting way to introduce new concepts and help readers develop a habit of focusing for longer periods of time. With interactive books, you get a kind of active play that your little one won’t find in games or screens, and Literati subscription boxes have the perfect one for every kind of reader. 

We’ve ranked our favorite interactive reads for every energetic second-grade, third-grade, or fourth-grade reader. Read on to discover the top five interactive books to distract, delight, and engage your 7-9 year old.

Maze Quest History: Travel Through Time!

By Anna Brett

Part maze activity, part storybook, Maze Quest tells the story of George and his puppy companion, Milly. During a visit to the Natural History Museum, they’re sent back in time with no way home! As your child completes and connects each maze, they get to experience history and send our protagonists back to the present.

Thanks to its exciting time travel theme, this maze book is rich with educational value far beyond the cognition skills needed to solve the mazes themselves. Maze Quest History is an ideal challenge for the budding problem solver.

Laugh-Out-Loud Ultimate Jokes for Kids

By Rob Elliott

This book, which holds the #2 spot on our list of best activity books, is jam-packed with jokes, puzzles, and goofy games. Getting acquainted with humor and joke structure is a great way for kids to learn literary devices—as wordplay and analogy pop up all over the place.

This book is a 2-in-1 collectible copy, combining Laugh-Out-Loud Awesome Jokes for Kids and Laugh-Out-Loud Road Trip Jokes for Kids into one side-splitting book. Rob Elliott includes tried-and-true jokes (think chickens crossing roads) with brand-new iterations, making this book a hilarious must-have for every household.

National Parks of the USA

By Kate Siber

National Parks of the U.S.A. stuns with glossy, realistic illustrations that will introduce your child to diverse landscapes and animal species they might not realize are in our very own backyard! And they aren’t just pretty to look at—your child will learn bite-sized facts they can remember and recite back.

This book includes a crossword of predators, a bird word search, spot-the-difference games with insects, a pull-out poster map, and dozens of stickers. Safe to say there’s hours upon hours of fun to be found in this book—no travel necessary!

Doodle Adventures: The Rise of the Rusty Robo-Cat!

By Mike Lowery

Has your child ever wanted to star in a book they were reading? Well, here’s their chance! This book goes beyond second-person storytelling to activate their imagination and encourage their creative side.

Doodle Adventures: The Rise of the Rusty Robo-Cat makes reading fun and interactive, working like a wacky game of Mad Libs, where your child can draw themselves into the story and all of its absurd adventures. They’ll complete prompts, doodles, and puzzles as they wind their way through their story.

STEM Starters for Kids: Science Activity Book

by Catherine Bruzzone and Vicky Barker

Is your child often asking questions about how the world works? You may have a mini scientist in your midst.

STEM Starters for Kids: Science Activity Book won’t just keep their hands busy—it’ll keep their brain activated for hours on end.They’ll race through a maze to make steam, draw sound waves, learn about light with shadow puppets, and more. At Literati, this sensational multi-sensory book gets top marks as one of the best books for 9-year-olds! Get ready for your child to have a reading experience that’s equal parts silly and scholarly.

Interactive Books for Ever-Learning Minds

With interactive books, readers are empowered to lead their own story. These healthy outlets for curiosity and creativity are also instrumental in building a lasting love of reading. 

With our Literati Kids book box subscription, you’ll help to fuel a passion for reading at any age. Every Literati box is personalized to fit your child’s interests, and adapts to challenge them as they grow.

A subscription book club for kids gets them excited about the amazing world of literature with books that are just-right for their pace of development. Keep your child reading, active, and ever-learning with Literati Kids.

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