Best Children's Reference Books
Lively and information-packed, this book is literally busting its covers with fascinating, fun-tastic facts on super, sensational topics that kids love. "Filled with photographs, this beautifully designed book is organized into two-page spreads that each focus on a different topic, making it easy and fun to read."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of our favorite things about this book is how it has inspired questions and discussions between our children and my wife and I about various subjects."
"etc., so for his birthday we bought him this book and the Guiness book of World Records."
"Perfect for an 8-year-old boy who loves learning interesting facts."
"I bought this as a gift for my 9 year old cousin who is VERY into learning things and interesting facts."
"My young teen son LOVES memorizing trivia."
"Great Book!"
"He loves information and immediately began reading this book as soon as he opened it yesterday."
"Disappointing book."
• Chapter 2 introduces kids to the other planets in our solar system. CATHERINE D. HUGHES is the author of National Geographic Little Kids First Big. Book of Animals , National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs , and is the science editor for the award-winning National Geographic Kids and National. Geographic Little Kids magazines.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I bought this for my five year old daughter, who was asking for a book about space."
"Wow, both my husband and I had heard that the planet "Pluto" was not considered a planet anymore but really...I couldn't figure out where in the heck we were not knowing that now there are 13 planets??? Not only does this book answer all your questions but gives you different facts and insights on each planet."
"He quizzed the rest of the family on the new information all through Christmas dinner so we all learned some new science facts."
"We own hundreds of books for our 3 and 2 year old, but this book is the best book we have."
"I bought this book and the "First Big Book of Why" by National Geographic for my kindergartener who is starting to question how things work. This book has information on the solar system, and includes all new information about dwarf planets (I think there were three or four mentioned), and other bodies in our solar system like asteroids and comets."
"Before wrapping this gift for my step-grandson, I read the whole book."
"4 year old son loves space, stars, etc and enjoys this book, I like it to, as it teaches things I didn't know or can't remember from school!"
"That is the only reason I would not recommend this book to buyers."
The third title in National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book series, this book is for kids 4- to 8-years-old who LOVE dinos! Catherine D. Hughes is the author of several books in the National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book series, including Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs , Little Kids First Big Book of Space , and Little Kids First Big Book of the Ocean .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book was clearly designed for younger kids, because it has large print, pronunciation guides for all the dinosaur names, and imagination style questions associated with each dinosaur, like "if you could have a pet dinosaur, what would you name it?" If you are looking for a dinosaur book for older kids, there is also the "National Geographic Kids First Book of Big Dinosaurs", not to be confused with this book for "Little" kids."
"Big pictures and large print wording make it great for preschool to the younger school ages like 3-7. It has different sections for the small, big, giant, and gigantic dinosaurs with an appropriate amount of reading for this age group."
"This book reads like an encyclopedia and not a story; however, they have shortened the information to 1 page per dinosaur which keeps a child's interest and a complete page with a picture illustration of the dinosaur."
"My 2 1/2 year old daughter and I love this book!!"
"Some of the more commonly known dinosaurs are conspicuously absent or the illustrations don't show you how to tell them apart from other similar species."
"Illustrations are on point and love how they break down the names of each dinosaur."
"My daughter and nephew both got a copy of this book and they both LOVE IT!"
"Before I bought this book on Amazon, I got this book from the library just to check it out."
Best Children's Almanacs
Linking to a popular feature in the super successful National Geographic Little Kids magazine, this book brings the browsable fun of the bestselling National Geographic Kids Almanac to a new audience: preschoolers! Amy Shields is a longtime editor of National Geographic books who is known for her work in children's literature.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of the reviews said it has misinformation because it classifies humans as "carnivores", but some recent studie shave classified humans as such "based on the percentage of meat in the typical human diet". See: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/20/150817741/for-most-of-human-history-being-an-omnivore-was-no-dilemma. Another negative review said the information is shallow and gave this example: "Some question do not even have answers like this one, 'why some animals are big and some are smalls?'. Why are some animals big and others small?"
"I bought this book and a few others that were similar for my kids (Ages 6 and 12) for Christmas."
"This is one of the best books I've purchased!"
"This was a great book to give my curious 4 year old."
"I bought this for my 4 year old for Christmas and it was a quick favorite."
"A little discombobulated format wise, but the subject matter stimulates valuable discussion between parent and child."
"Not exactly what I expected."
"Easy to read for young children."
Best Children's Atlases
Jam packed with the latest data, bright, bold images, large maps, a brand-new design, and lively information about the world’s land, people, and animals, the third edition Beginner’s World Atlas will be the most up-to-date world reference for kids ages 5–8. A portion of all National Geographic proceeds is used to fund exploration, conservation, and education through ongoing contributions to the work of the National Geographic Society.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My child was not much interested yet."
"Good starter for kids learn to read maps."
"My 8 year old nephew is obsessed with maps of all kinds and loves this."
"Super nice, educational book."
"Very basic...good for younger kids but not for my 7 1/2 year old granddaughter."
"My 7-year old is always pouring over this book every free min he gets."
"I bought these two items for my grandson for Christmas."
Best Children's Citizenship Books
Brilliantly illustrated by former Disney Artist, Phil Jones (Tarzan, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch), and written by an award-winning poet and active-duty Marine, this hardcover children's book will warm the hearts of both young and old as the audience is taken on an imaginative adventure that teaches about the culture & traditions of the USMC. The real spirit of Goodnight Marines culminates on the final page, where the moon shines on the father's picture next to his son - sleeping safely in his room with Tuffy Hound. Brilliantly illustrated by former Disney Artist, Phil Jones (Tarzan, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch), and written by an award-winning poet and active-duty Marine, this hardcover children's book will warm the hearts of both young and old as the audience is taken on an imaginative adventure that teaches about the culture & traditions of the USMC. ------ A note from the author - Major David Dixon: "As a Marine and Iraq War veteran, I feel honored to represent the Marine Corps and the traditions that I hold so dear.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you are a Marine, know a Marine, were a Marine, married a Marine, or were raised by a Marine, this book will melt your heart."
"Our 7 year old daughter enjoyed the story and the additional information helped to explain to her some details, as well."
"Goodnight Marines is a thoughtful homage to the Marine Corps presented for both young and old to enjoy."
"The 4 children of the Marine who will get this book, will cherish it because it is (in their mind) about THEIR DAD! This book should be widely available to Marines, their families and friends and all Americans who reap the benefits of living in a country protected by Marines and other Military."
"Being an "old Marine wife" the pictures that are shown brought tears to my eyes, so many deployment memories; thank you for the F-18's! When anyone enlists or marries into the military you do so as an adult and have a decent idea of what you may encounter, reguardless of MOS."
"I myself have been in the USMC for a little over 19 years now, and have seen the pain in little ones' eyes when their mommy or daddy is being shipped off overseas to do what they do best. Even if you have not served in the Marine Corps or the military, this is still a wonderful piece of art to learn some history and traditions that are so near and dear to all Marines."
"I purchased "Goodnight Marines" for Rory, my soon to be (June 19th 2017) 2 year old Granddaughter."
"I gave a copy to my nephew along with a collage of photos of my Marine son in uniform, and he absolutely treasures this book and is so proud of his cousin."
Best Children's Dictionaries
This top-selling dictionary featuring 35,000 updated words, phrases, images, and authoritative content from Merriam-Webster is a must-have resource for elementary school children. Grade 2–5—Including a reference guide to letter pronunciation at the bottom of each spread, this work also includes an alphabet locator on the side of each page.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The second error is literally huge: " [Pluto] orbits the sun at an average distance of 3.7 million miles (5.9 million kilometers)." In fact, Pluto's average distance is 3.7 BILLION miles (5.9 billion kilometers) from the sun."
"Book came in great condition with an undamaged spine."
"I home school and I wanted my child to be able to look up words instead of looking up on a computer for his definitions."
"She does a lot of independent reading and she'll probably need a more comprehensive dictionary in a year or two, but for now it's a nice introduction to using reference books."
"This is super easy for my 2nd grader to use and she just enjoys thumbing through it from time to time."
"Very good dictionary for kids."
"From the picture the book doesn't look very large, but it is actually quite thick, like you'd imagine a dictionary SHOULD be."
"Your kids need this!"
Best Children's Encyclopedias
Featuring 2,500 species and packed with stunning color photographs, amazing animal facts, maps, and more, the new National Geographic Kids Animal Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive on the market today, amazing and entertaining readers, while providing them with authoritative information about the animal kingdom. Special features in each section include ANIMAL PROFILES spreads that focus in-depth on a particular animal and ANIMAL RECORDS spreads that highlight superlatives such as fastest, tallest, smallest, etc. No less than 2,500 animals are included in this oversize encyclopedic reference.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My daughter absolutely loves this book as with most other animal books she brings it with her in the car and will read it for hours."
"A lot of beautiful pictures."
"Birthday gift for my niece and she LOVED it."
"Great detailed pictures!"
"father of the year for this one."
"AMAZING photography and very educational!"
"My daughter loves this book."
"Nice but could have made it more children use."
Best Children's Thesaurus
122,000 synonyms, antonyms and related words Main entries have shared meaning core followed by a list of synonyms, related words and antonyms Alphabetically arranged for easy lookups Value-priced for budget-conscious parents and teachers. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Once again I can say this is a fun book to have."
"bought this for my daughter since it was on her school supply list, this was a great price for a Websters thesaurus and hopefully it will help her out this year."
"Welcome back to when I was in school son(I graduated high school in 2001 not that long ago but yes that long ago!)."
"Great selection of words."
"A must have for children just learning how to be articulte !"
"This is actually a great thesaurus for anyone wanting assistance in mixing up the words in your writing so it isn't a repetition of the same words to the point of redundancy."
"A Thesaurus is a Thesaurus!"
"I bought this for my very dyslexic adult son & he's using it while he's trying to read."
Best Children's Reference & Nonfiction
Lively and information-packed, this book is literally busting its covers with fascinating, fun-tastic facts on super, sensational topics that kids love. "Filled with photographs, this beautifully designed book is organized into two-page spreads that each focus on a different topic, making it easy and fun to read."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of our favorite things about this book is how it has inspired questions and discussions between our children and my wife and I about various subjects."
"My young teen son LOVES memorizing trivia."
"Great Book!"
"This was the best present an 8 year old girl had for her birthday and her mother is delighted that she is busy and entertained looking for 'awesome facts' as they are truly awesome."
"He even tells me things that he has learned from reading this book."
"Bought this for a ten-year old for Christmas."
"I was surprised how big this book was."
"Great looking book, and will be read by son, however as a new book, there should not be any ripped pages."
Best Children's Pet Books
The girl's frustration and anger are vividly depicted in the detailed art, and the story offers good options for dealing honestly with these feelings, while at the same time reassuring children that it's okay to make mistakes. The girl doesn't just "make" her magnificent thing -- she "tinkers and hammers and measures," she "smoothes and wrenches and fiddles," she "twists and tweaks and fastens." These precise action words are likely to fire up the imaginations of youngsters eager to create their own inventions and is a great tie-in to learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Fanciful illustrations depict the spindly, cartoonish characters; the girl’s intricate found-object contraptions; and colorful scenarios against black-and-white line drawings of a city-neighborhood setting. With witty and whimsical elements (including the dog’s side antics), this supportively portrays the sometimes-frustrating process of translating ideas to reality and shows how a new perspective can help problem solve and rekindle enthusiasm and joy.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My two year old loves it, my six year old enjoyed it."
"This is an awesome book that I got to encourage my girls and their friends to be engineers."
"Totally helps address the idea of perfectionism in children."
"We enjoyed this book so much we have it to my niece as a gift."
"Favorite new book."
"I really liked this book because it is a relatable story of creation."
"Great book!"
"Great addition to my classroom."
Best Children's General Social Science Books
Complete Books are the most thorough and comprehensive learning guides available, offering high-interest lessons to encourage learning and fun, full-color illustrations to spark interest.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I love this workbook because it begins with easier beginner basic map reading and skills and ascends in difficulty and skill in an apt way. There are a number of topics and skills included and each chapter and skill has many worksheets with brief paragraphs that explain each concept and skill."
"It's her favorite part of homeschool."
"As advertised....Great quality."
"Love this book on maps and geography for the boys."
"Great for my Grandbaby!"
"Best Maps & Geo book out there."
"I bought this for us to use this year in homeschooling."
Best Literary Bibliographies & Indexes
For the last several years Adm. James Stavridis and his co-author, R. Manning Ancell, have surveyed over two hundred active and retired four-star military officers about their reading habits and favorite books, asking each for a list of titles that strongly influenced their leadership skills and provided them with special insights that helped propel them to success in spite of the many demanding challenges they faced. "…A very comprehensive list of books that should move, inspire, inform and educate both existing and prospective leaders. "It is a deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking book, food for all minds at whatever stage of leadership or aspiration wherever the reader has reached. "For any student of leadership, this book provides an excellent starting point for in-depth reading, along with a useful framework for continued study. The Leader's Bookshelf is a powerful collection of leadership lessons, drawn from outstanding works of literature, history, and biography. "Leadership in the world of business depends on life experiences, strength of personality, and innate qualities--but you can never stop learning. "I've been trading book recommendations with Admiral Jim Stavridis since we worked together in the Pentagon over a decade ago. The Leader's Bookshelf includes many books we've discussed together over the years, and taken together it is a powerful compendium at the heart of leadership."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"But this I knew: I loved books; he loved books; and while standing there, I thought of something he wrote that might prove that I, like him, believed that books are essential to our profession, if not our lives. In it, he said that his wife noticed that his love of books and his growing library had evolved into a “gentle madness.” That phrase—a “gentle madness”—refers to a wonderful book by author Nicholas Basbanes. Basbanes’ book—A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books — is a long, discursive work: one part discussion of historic book culture in America and Britain, the other full of profiles of quirky and dedicated book lovers and collectors. In The Leader’s Bookshelf, they interviewed 200 four-star generals and flag officers, and from those discussions, they determined the 50 books that “stood out most…with top military readers.”. Using no particular scientific method, they rank ordered the books in descending order by the number of mentions. For each title, there is a short essay by a senior officer as to why they choose the book, followed by a quote from the book, a biography of the author, then a summary of the book by either Stavridis or Ancell, concluding with a few sentences about why the book is important for leaders today. It is these little-known reading recommendations that make books like this exciting. Ironically, the only criticism—or rather, observation—I have about the book is that senior officers still do not carve out enough time to read. And this in a book in which one of the early essays is about “Making Time for Reading.”. In one essay, a senior officer admits that while working in the Joint Staff that he only read one book in a year. One book! Nonetheless, The Leader’s Bookshelf will appeal to all types: The newbie looking for a good book to read and the bibliomaniac who may have read all 49 on the list and owns each first edition, but unaware, or didn’t realize there was just one more interesting title out there."
"Well written book from a past association."
"The diversity of fiction and non-fiction titles on the list provides variety to the reader, a much-needed quality for those tired of trawling through the rote talking points of conventional leadership books. Beyond the books themselves, the Leader’s Bookshelf provides advice on curating your own library, writing, publishing, and managing your intellectual development in the rigor of our busy lives."
"Outstanding selection of reading for those interested in military or other leadership roles."
"Brilliant author."
"Great synopsis of leadership book by military leaders."
"This is a great book to point you towards more great books!"