Welcome to a new round up featuring recently read and recommended children’s non-fiction titles! Now, just a note that your library may catalogue some of these titles in non-fiction or in picture books- it really depends on how your library has decided to categorize them!

Let’s begin with the fantastically beautiful and mesmerizing The Bluest of Blues: Anna Atkins and the First Book of Photographs by Fiona Robinson– I was  captivated by this not-to-be-missed biography about the life and work of botanist and photographer Anna Atkins; Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise, gorgeously illustrated by Paola Escobar, is an essential introduction into the life and work of the pioneering librarian, puppeteer, and storyteller who the Pura Belpré Award in named in honour of; Jenni Desmond’s marvelous non-fiction work has featured here before, and the author-illustraor’s name makes a return with The Elephant, the excellent third entry in the well-received series featuring endangered animals; Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Simona Ciraolo, turns the spotlight on the life and incredibly lengthy and ingenious contributions of filmmaker and storyteller Alice Guy-Blaché (unfortunately mostly unrecognized until recent history and documentary efforts); and, last but not least is the riveting and lyrical Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World by Susan Hood, highlighting the lives of fourteen “revolutionary” women (e.g. Mary Anning, Ruby Bridges, Nellie Bly, Mae Jemison, and more!), pairing a poem about each icon with an original illustration by acclaimed illustrators such as Oge Mora, Julie Morstad, Emily Winfield Martin, and LeUyen Pham. Happy reading!