Children’s Non-Fiction

Illustration by Marc Boutavant

Why do cats disappear for hours during the day? Where do plants come from? How do you become a pirate? Why is there water on Earth? Why? Why? If you ever get tired of answering the many questions your curious children ask all the time, these books might save you a headache or two. Here is a list of some great illustrated non-fiction to learn more about the world we live in!

Reading List

Kor kids ages 3 and up

A large picture book that shows the daily life of a joyous and fantastic city full of cats. Throughout the day, follow them as they go to the market, the museum, to parties–or watch as they eat! There are a thousand details to observe, and as many stories to invent. 

La Vie des Chats : Mode d’Emploi by Marie Caudry, Thierry Magnier.

Click here to purchase this book with us.


For kids ages 4 and up

In the spring, the wind takes up seeds to sow them elsewhere. Then, these seeds grow in the soil until stems and blossoms appear. In the garden, these blooms transform into flowers, and these flowers become fruit. On the fruit, the caterpillars become butterflies…And it is an endless cycle! With Peggy Nille, we embark in the great seasonal adventure and see it from close up. Among the lively illustrations swarming with a thousand and one ravishing details, we have fun finding and counting the blooms, ladybugs, foxes, and chestnut trees. An animal and plant world that is just waiting to be discovered!

Je compte jour après jour by Peggy Nille, Actes sud junior

Click here to purchase this book with us.


Pirates : Comment devenait-on pirate ? by Sophie Bordet-Petillon, illustrations by Romain Mennetrier

For kids ages 5 and up

A pop-up book that excites the imagination of children and lets them discover the world of pirates.

In the Caribbean Sea, pirates attack large galleons filled with gold and spices returning from America. Ready to do anything for their fortune, they are pitiless. But on board, there reigns an iron discipline.
What is the difference between a pirate and a corsair? Who were the most famous pirates? What did they eat on pirate ships? Did Treasure Island actually exist?
All the answers and even more still are inside this interactive book made for sharing.

Pirates : Comment devenait-on pirate ? by Sophie Bordet-Petillon, illustrated by Romain Mennetrier, Gallimard jeunesse.

Click here to purchase this book with us.


For kids ages 10 and up

How did the earth transform into a giant snowball? What were the first forms of life? How did we go from it being too hot to too cold with the ice age? What are erratic blocks? Who discovered the Greenhouse Effect? Based on scientific research, the author shows all the mechanics directly concerned with climate change : physics, chemistry, biology, geology, economy…

Why is the graph of temperatures for the past 1000 years called the “Hockey Stick”? What are the causes and consequences of climate change? Adapting, moving, disappearing; difficult choices are going to increasingly affect living beings. What measures can be taken against climate change? What are the energies of the future? A “true or false” chapter ends this book and allows us to better know what is true amidst all the grumbling about climate change.

A well-rounded book that should make each of us react. 

Des palmiers au Pôle Nord ? La drôle d’histoire du changement climatique by Marc Ter Horst and Wendy Panders, Milan jeunesse.

Click here to purchase this book with us.


Other recommendations by Albertine Team
SHARE ON