The 8 Unique and Interesting Books that Every Curious Kid Needs.
During a time of uncertainty, there is one thing that will always remain certain — a good book.
Books can feed young minds and nourish their imaginations. During these trying times as parents, we are looking for ways to continue the learning for our children.
A good book is a perfect tool to help kids develop their language, comprehension, and vocabulary skills. Young readers today are taking initiative in their own home learning and growth. Perhaps you know someone with a tween or teen stuck at home who is craving a good book. The books below are intended to help teens and young adults create and maintain motivation and be inspired by true stories.
1. The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between by Patrick Foote
What is something that literally everything in existence has in common? It all has a name! With The Origin of Names, Words, and Everything in Between, you can learn the origins of these names. From countries and cities to toys and animals to even planets, learn the etymology of interesting words in a fun and entertaining way.
Why is New York called New York? The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between has the answer for you. While author Patrick Foote, of the YouTube channel, also called Name Explain, doesn’t claim to know everything, he has garnered a lot of knowledge about language over the years and he’s excited to get to share it with you in this new format.
With his fun sense of humor, Patrick explains each name with jokes and quips you’re bound to enjoy. Full of pictures and packed with great information, The Origin of Names, Words, and Everything in Between has a variety of topics that are bound to intrigue anyone interested in the origins of the words we use every day.
2. Answers to Questions You’ve Never Asked: Explaining the What If in Science, Geography and the Absurd by Joseph Pisenti
When you take the most absurd parts of history, science, economics, and geography, you end up with a pretty confusing picture of humanity. Why do we have borders, what’s the furthest you can get from the ocean, how do you qualify as a country and why did Vikings wear those silly helmets? These are just a few of the strange questions that bounce around the head of YouTube sensation Joseph Pisenti, aka RealLifeLore.
In his channel, Pisenti presents illogical truths in a logical manner. In his debut book, Pisenti builds on this nonsensical humor of the universe with an in-depth analysis of empires, economies, and ecosystems as he helps answer the ridiculous. Why you ask? Because someone has to. Using line drawings, graphs, and charts, Pisenti not only details the absurd, but he also provides explanations on why things are…and why they aren’t.
3. The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History Behind Ordinary Objects by Emily Prokop
Every single thing that surrounds us has a story behind it. Many of us learn the history of humans and the major inventions that shaped our world. But what you may not have learned is the history of objects we surround ourselves with every day. You might not even know how the major events in history (World Wars, ancient civilizations, revolutions, etc.) influenced the inventions of things we use today.
From the creator of The Story Behind podcast comes this revelatory new book. The Story Behind will give insight into everyday objects we don’t think much about when we use them. Topics covered in the podcast will be examined in more detail along with many new fascinating topics. Learn how lollipops got started in Ancient Egypt, how podcasts were invented, and why Comic Sans was created. Learn the torture device origins of certain exercise equipment and the espionage beginnings of certain musical instruments. Ordinary things from science to art, food to sports, customs to fashion, and more are explored.
4. For All Humankind: The Untold Stories of How the Moon Landing Inspired the World by Tanya Harrison and Danny Bednar
The plaque they left behind reads, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.” But was the Apollo 11 moon landing mission really a global endeavor? How did people outside the United States view these “rocket men”? Against the political backdrop of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union, was it, indeed, “For all mankind”? Dr. Tanya Harrison and Dr. Danny Bednar have talked to individuals from a variety of locations outside the United States, to see how this event touched the lives of people across the world.
Enthusiasts of space travel, the Apollo missions, and the moon landings will love this book. These previously untold stories reveal the impact of the moon landings around the globe, and what having a “man on the moon” meant to the international community.
5. Animal Kind: Lessons on Love, Fear and Friendship from the Wild by Emma Locke
In Animal Kind, Emma Lock of the wildly popular YouTube channel “Emzotic” shares stories of the incredible ways that animals keep us healthy and happy, physically and mentally. You’ll be inspired by the tales of remarkable recovery, from vision-impaired individuals who have gained independence with the help of seeing-eye dogs, to the woman who found a new life as an equestrian champion after an arm amputation.
Animal Kind: Lessons on Love, Fear, and Friendship from Wild Animals offers true stories that prove that sometimes the best friends in life have fur, feathers, or even scales. Readers who enjoyed Devoted, How to Be a Good Creature, and A Street Cat Named Bob will love the heartwarming food for the soul in this book.
6. Bugs in Danger: Our Vanishing Bees, Butterflies and Beetles by Mark Kurlansky, Illustrated by Jia Liu
By now you’ve probably heard that bees are disappearing–but they aren’t the only species at risk.
Populations of fireflies, butterflies, and ladybugs have all been declining in recent years, too. This middle-grade nonfiction explains the growth, spread, and recent declines of each of these four types of insects. Exploring human causes, like the Baltimore electric company that collected fireflies to attempt to harness their phosphorescent lighting source, to natural occurrences, like the mysterious colony collapse disorder that plagues bee populations, master nonfiction storyteller Mark Kurlansky shows just how much bugs matter to our world.
7. The Scale of Things: Mind-blowing Proportions, Remarkable Ratios and Extraordinary Facts by Mike Fairbrass and David Tanguy
If the Sun is the size of a Grapefruit, the Earth is a grain of sand, then the distance between the two is a London bus.
Scale is intriguing. Scale is everywhere.
Scale is our experience of the world, from our perception of time to physical distance to weights and measures. The human scale is 1:1, the point of reference. Everything is designed around it. Wealth is an example of scale, so is a sculpture, a building, a planet or a molecule. Scale is a universal and timeless subject. The Scale of Things brings together facts and figures in a visual way, embracing popular science, space, economics, politics, geography, nature, technology and architecture in an accessible and entertaining way.
Fun and informative, it will change the way you look at the world around you.
8. Seeing Science: An Illustrated Guide to the Wonders of the Universe (Illustrated Science Book, Science Picture Book for Kids, Science) by Iris Gottlieb
Science is beautiful.
With original illustrations that deftly explain the strange but true world of science, Seeing Science brings the wonderful world of science to life in a quirky, indie style.
Artist and lay scientist Iris Gottlieb explains the great mysteries of the universe, such as neap tides, naked mole rats, whale falls, the human heart, the Uncertainty Principle, the ten dimensions of string theory, and how glaciers are like Snickers bars. Gottlieb’s quirky visual metaphors and concise factual explanations provide just the right amount of information to stoke the curious mind with a desire to know more about the life forces that animate both the smallest cell and the biggest black hole.
