Welcome to week 3 of the Top 10s of 2022! It’s nonfiction highlights time. And I’m going to throw in my top 10 favorite books for their artwork this week as a bonus. This week wraps up the last of my Top 10s for the year, and next week will be our guest post from Mrs. Nat Cho, the amazing elementary librarian I work with.
Some of these nonfiction books overlap interest levels, so I put it in the target group I think the book will most appeal to. Also of note, some of the nonfiction graphic novels included have fictional characters who introduce the topics (primarily the History Comics and Science Comics), but they are highly informational, could be used as research sources, and are more educational than any kind of story so I put them in nonfiction but you may see them shelved as fiction some places and nonfiction other places.
A reminder that these books may have been published this year or any year prior, I just read them for the first time in the past 12 months. And I do put my absolute favorites more towards the top of the lists, but in general I’d be hard pressed to pick my tippy top read out of most of these lists. Clicking on the titles of each book will take you to my full summary and review plus any content notes/trigger warnings.
Today we're starting with the books for the youngest readers first and working up to the older readers, and finishing with the best artwork (mixed interest levels).
Here’s the Top 10s of 2022s Schedule for this year:
Dec 16: Nonfiction Books (all levels + graphic novels + leveled readers)
Dec 23: Guest Post: Mrs. Nat’s Top 10s
Top 10 Lower Grade Nonfiction Books
The Secret Code Inside You by Rajani LaRocca, ill. by Steven Salerno
Nano: the Spectacular Science of the Very (Very) Small by Jess Wade, ill. by Melissa Castrillón
Seasons by Hannah Pang, ill. by Clover Robin
The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field by Scott Riley ; illustrated by Nguyen Quang and Kim Lien
Dear Mr. Dickens by Nancy Churnin, ill. by Bethany Stancliffe
Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler, ill. by Loren Long
How Airports Work by Clive Gifford, ill. by James Gullive Hancock
Butterflies Are Pretty …Gross by Rosemary Mosco, ill. by Jacob Souva
Keeping the City Going by Brian Floca
Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Estivate by Melissa Stewart, ill. by Sarah S. Brannen
Top 10 Picture Book Biographies
Classified: the Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer by Traci Sorell, ill. by Natasha Donovan
King Sejong Invents an Alphabet by Carol Kim, ill. by Cindy Kang
Tu Youyou’s Discovery: Finding a Cure for Malaria by Songju Ma Daemicke, ill. by Lin
Niki Nakayama: a Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites by Jamie Michalak & Debbi Michiko Florence, ill. by Yuko Jones
Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua by Gloria Amescua, ill. by Duncan Tonatiuh
Guitar Genius: How Les Paul Engineered the Solid-Body Electric Guitar and Rocked the World by Kim Tomsic, ill. by Brett Helquist
The Rise (and Falls) of Jackie Chan by Kristen Mai Giang, ill. by Alina Chau
A Bowl Full of Peace: a True Story by Caren Stelson, ill. by Akira Kusaka
The Elephants Come Home: a True Story of Seven Elephants, Two People, and One Extraordinary Friendship by Kim Tomsic, ill. by Hadley Hooper
Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello by Monica Brown, ill. by Elisa Chavarri
Top 10 Nonfiction Leveled Readers/Beginning Readers
(Limited to 1 per author)
If You Love Books, You Could Be… (If You Love/Ready to Read, Level 2) by Elizabeth Dennis, ill. by Natalie Kwee
A Pandemic Is Worldwide (Let’s Read and Find Out Science, Stage 2) by Sarah L. Thomson, ill. by Taia Morley
I Want to Be an Engineer (I Can Read, Level 1) by Laura Driscoll, ill. by Catalina Echeverri
If You Love Robots, You Could Be… (If You Love/Ready to Read, Level 2) by May Nakamura, ill. by Natalie Kwee
Feel the Wind (Let’s Read and Find Out Science, Stage 2) by Arthur Dorros
Snow Is Falling (Let’s Read and Find Out Science, Stage 1) by Franklyn M. Branley, ill. by Holly Keller
Clouds (Let’s Read and Find Out Science, Stage 1) by Anne Rockwell, ill. by Frané Lessac
Hamsters (My First Pet) by Cari Meister
Icky, Sticky Slime! (Ready to Read, Level 2) by Ximena Hastings, ill. by Alison Hawkins
Big Bugs, Little Bugs (Made by God/Zonderkidz I can Read, Level 2) ed. by Mary Hassinger
Top 10 Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction Books
(Excluding graphic novels)
Unspeakable: the Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, ill. by Floyd Cooper
Ambushed!: the Assassination Plot against President Garfield by Gail Jarrow
The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield
The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen Paeff, ill. by Nancy Carpenter
Becoming Beatrix: the Life of Beatrix Potter and the World of Peter Rabbit by Amy M. O’Quinn
The Twins of Auschwitz : the Inspiring True Story of a Young Girl Surviving Mengele's Hell by Eva Mozes Kor with Lisa Rojany Buccieri
A Leopard Diary: My Journey into the Hidden World of a Mother and Her Cubs by Suzi Eszterhas
Alias Anna: a True Story of Outwitting the Nazis by Susan Hood with Greg Dawson
Susan La Flesche Picotte: Pioneering Doctor (Discovering History’s Heroes) by Diane Bailey
Meltdown: Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima by Dierdre Langeland
Top 10 Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction/Informational Graphic Novels/Comics/Manga
(Limited to 1 per series)
Nicky & Vera: a Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued by Peter Sís*
The National Parks: Preserving America’s Wild Places (History Comics) by Falynn Koch
Yummy: a History of Desserts by Victoria Grace Elliott
Natan Sharansky: Freedom Fighter for Soviet Jews by Blake Hoena, ill. by Daniele Dickmann
The Tryout: a graphic novel by Christina Soontornvat, ill. by Joanna Cacao
Just Pretend by Tori Sharp
The 500 Million Dollar Heist: Isabella Stewart Gardner and Thirteen Missing Masterpieces (Unsolved Case Files, #3) by Sullivan
Let’s Make Dumplings!: a Comic Book Cookbook by Hugh Amano, ill. by Sarah Becan
Whales: Diving into the Unknown (Science Comics) by Casey Zakroff, ill. by Pat Lewis
Top 10 Adult Nonfiction Books
What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions (What If, #2) by Randall Munroe
Warrior: Audrey Hepburn (Dutch Girl, #2) by Robert Matzen, foreword by Luca Dotti
The Girl with Seven Names: Escape from North Korea by Hyeonseo Lee with David John
Photo Ark Wonders: Celebrating Diversity in the Animal Kingdom (Photo Ark) by Joel Sartore
A Woman of No Importance: the Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell
A Bookshop in Berlin: the Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman's Harrowing Escape from the Nazis by Françoise Ferkel, preface by Patrick Modiano, dossier compiled by Frédéric Maria, translated by Stephanie Smee
The Rebel and the Kingdom: the True Story of the Secret Mission to Overthrow the North Korean Regime by Bradley Hope
Rin Tin Tin: the Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean
The Last Rhinos: the Powerful Story of One Man’s Battle to Save a Species by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence
The Story of the Country House: a History of Places and People by Clive Aslet
Top 10 Christian Nonfiction
(Any target interest level)
Lead Like Jesus Revisited: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time by Kenneth H. Blanchard, Phil Hodges & Phyllis Hendry
Excavating the Evidence for Jesus: the Archaeology and History of Christ and the Gospels by Titus Kennedy
Keeping Christmas: 25 Advent Reflections on A Christmas Carol by Allison Pittman
Let the World See You: How to be Real in a World Full of Fakes by Sam Acho
Calling in Context: Social Location and Vocational Formation by Susan L. Maros
Love Is… illustrated by Paola Escobar
Learning Our Names: Asian American Christians on Identity, Relationships, and Vocation by Sabrina S. Chan, Linson Daniel, E. David de Leon, and La Thao
The Promise: the Amazing Story of Our Long-Awaited Savior by Jason Helopoulos, ill. by Rommel Ruiz
Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands by Jen Wilkin
Beholding and Becoming: the Art of Everyday Worship by Ruth Chou Simons
Top 10 Asian Nonfiction Books
(Any target interest level, about a person/people of Asian descent, written/illustrated by an authors/illustrators of Asian descent)
King Sejong Invents an Alphabet by Carol Kim, ill. by Cindy Kang
Tu Youyou’s Discovery: Finding a Cure for Malaria by Songju Ma Daemicke, ill. by Lin
The Girl with Seven Names: Escape from North Korea by Hyeonseo Lee with David John
Learning Our Names: Asian American Christians on Identity, Relationships, and Vocation by Sabrina S. Chan, Linson Daniel, E. David de Leon, and La Thao
The Rise (and Falls) of Jackie Chan by Kristen Mai Giang, ill. by Alina Chau
The Tryout: a graphic novel by Christina Soontornvat, ill. by Joanna Cacao
The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee by Julie Leung, ill. by Julie Kwon
From the Tops of the Trees by Kao Kalia Yang, ill. by Rachel Wada
Thao by Thao Lam
Basho’s Haiku Journeys by Freeman Ng, ill. by Cassandra Rockwood-Ghanem
Top 10 Books for the Artwork
(Most stunning interior artwork, any interest level)
Beholding and Becoming: the Art of Everyday Worship by Ruth Chou Simons
The Star Festival by Moni Ritchie Hadley, ill. by Mizuho Fujisawa
Shadow of the Bird (Lightfall, #2) by Tim Probert*
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
Outside In by Deborah Underwood, ill. by Cindy Derby
When the Sakura Bloom by Narisa Togo, English adaptation by Michael Sedunary
Love Is… illustrated by Paola Escobar
Hope at Sea: an Adventure Story by Daniel Miyares
Monster Friends by Kaeti Vandorn
Invasion of the Unicorns by David Biedrzycki
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