These outstanding informational books deserve a standing ovation. Nonfiction is for kids of all ages, so engage your brain. That means you, too, parents and teachers and fellow librarians!
1. Animal Encyclopedia by Dr. Lucy Spelman (National Geographic)
2. Barnum's Bones by Tracey Fern
3. A Black Hole Is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
4. Bomb: The Race to Build -- and Steal -- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
5. The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math by Sean Connolly
6. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Reader's Edition by William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer
7. Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick
8. The Camping Trip That Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Our National Parks by Barb Rosenstock
9. Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard by Loree Griffin Burns
10. Freedom Song: The Story of Henry "Box" Brown by Sally M. Walker
11. Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
12. Harlem's Little Blackbird by Renée Watson
13. Here Come the Girl Scouts!: The Amazing All-True Storyof Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure by Shana Corey
14. How Many Jelly Beans? by Andrea Menotti
15. How to Be a World Explorer: Your All-Terrain Training Manual by Joel Levy (Not-For-Parents)
16. I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (illustrated by Kadir Nelson)
17. Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin
18. Just Ducks! by Nicola Davies
19. Lego Ninjago Masters of Spinjitzu Character Encyclopedia
20. Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly & Dwight Jon Zimmerman
21. Machines Go to Work in the City by William Low (lift-the-flap)
22. Mrs. Harkness and the Panda by Alicia Potter
23. National Parks: A Kid's Guide to America's Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks by ERin McHugh
24. Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas by Molly Bang
25. Out on the Prairie by Donna M. Bateman
26. A Rock Is Lively by Diana Hutts Aston
27. Saving Yasha: The Incredible True Story of an Adopted Moon Bear by Lia Kvatum
28. Seed by Seed: The Legend and Legacy of John "Appleseed" Chapman by Esme Raji Codell
29. Shiver Me Timbers!: Pirate Poems & Paintings by Douglas Florian
30. Star Wars Origami: 36 Amazing Paper-Folding Projects from a Galaxy Far, Far Away . . . by Chris Alexander
31. Stay: The True Story of Ten Dogs by Michaela Muntean
32. Super Nature Encyclopedia: The 100 Most Incredible Creatures of the Planet by Derek Harvey (Smithsonian)
33. The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz
34. Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives by Gene Barretta
35. We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Levinson
36. What We Wear: Dressing Up Around the World by Maya Ajmera, Elise Hofer Derstine & Cynthia Pon
37. Who Is J. K. Rowling? by Pam Pollack