Beautiful and exciting reference books for kindergartenders
November 6, 2022 11:09 AM   Subscribe

What are some of the best, richly-illustrated reference style books for kindergarteners? My preference would be for a book that introduces different countries and cultures, but if you've got a recommendation for a book about the natural world, I'll take that too!
posted by Rora to Media & Arts (9 answers total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
The Ultimate Book of [various things] series by Didier Balicevic are FANTASTIC. They're super-in-depth pop out books. My kiddo is absolutely obsessed with the Construction Site and Cities ones, and there's also Airport, Planet Earth, Vehicles, Space, and probably a few more. The diversity of the people in the illustrations could be better (they're about 75% white) but there is some diversity. The amount of things to fold, unfold, open, explore, etc are just beyond compare, especially if you have a fiddly kid who likes that kind of detail and dynamism - my kid engages with them with more intensity than an ipad!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:15 AM on November 6, 2022 [1 favorite]


The DK books are usually pretty great. This one is about countries of the world. This one is "children just like me" which I know my kid would have adored at that age.
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:20 AM on November 6, 2022 [5 favorites]


Maps.
posted by zenon at 11:23 AM on November 6, 2022


I just posted this in a separate Ask looking for diverse books, but I think it will work here too: Underground: Subway Systems Around the World offers a glimpse into a variety of cities around the world. It's a picture book and a 'find the object' type of book. Kids learn about different objects that might be foreign to them as they search the pages for said objects. There's a nice glossary at the back of the book. I linked to the Amazon page so you can get a look inside the book.
posted by hydra77 at 11:29 AM on November 6, 2022


Houses With A Story is a big collection of charming cutaway illustrations about different kinds of people living and working in different kinds of buildings from various places and periods.

Each illustration has a descriptive and evocative title in English, plus a bunch of little detail notes in Japanese. I can't read the notes but I think just their existence prompts you to look at details the note draws attention to and imagine (or discuss and share ideas with child what they think that little detail might be about)

It's like reference with a touch of whimsy and imagination, not entirely non-fiction.
posted by Cusp at 2:22 PM on November 6, 2022 [1 favorite]


Another vote for the DK books—tons of single-topic volumes stuffed with detailed, vibrant photos. Gorgeous and informative!
posted by bookmammal at 3:24 PM on November 6, 2022


I don't have any specific recs for you, but I'm 51 and I still remember the wonder and excitement I felt when I was a wee and very 'vincible Summer, first seeing pictures of glaciers and ice caves and penguins and polar bears. Thinking back, and knowing my parents, it was probably a Time/Life series. Possibly National Geographic. But they were books, not magazines - very sold feel in my tiny little hands.
posted by invincible summer at 4:07 PM on November 6, 2022


Usborne Peep Inside/Look Inside/See Inside series (different levels of complexity). They do Ancient Rome/Greece/Egypt, castles, various STEM subjects (the weather, the ocean, our planet, the human body).

We also have the Blue Planet kids’ book which is really beautifully illustrated. I tend to skip over the text. In fact most marine biology books aimed at children which I’ve seen have been visually lovely.
posted by tinkletown at 4:34 PM on November 6, 2022


We liked Everything & Everywhere: A Fact-Filled Adventure for Curious Globe-Trotters by Marc Martin. It's more whimsical than guide book.
posted by beyond_pink at 8:19 PM on November 6, 2022


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