Nonfiction Favorites for Grades 3-5

Packed with fin-tastic facts, the inspiring biography of a persistent scientist as unafraid of sharks as she was of defying norms. “[An] eloquent profile.” -Kirkus

This book describes the early lives and notable achievements of five black scientists: Susan McKinney Steward, George Washington Carver, Ernest Everett Just, Percy Lavon Julian, and Shirley Ann Jackson.

Acclaimed Caldecott artist Molly Bang paints a stunning, sweeping view of our ever-changing oceans.

The story behind the flight of Apollo 11 for a new generation of readers and explorers.

Most people think of mathematicians as solitary, working away in isolation. But that wasn't what Paul Erdos did. At the age of four, he could ask you when you were born and then calculate the number of seconds you had been alive. But he didn't learn to butter his own toast until he turned 20. Instead, he traveled around the world, collaborating on an astonishing number of projects and changing the way people everywhere thought about math.

When her parents took away her candles to keep their young daughter from studying math...nothing stopped Sophie. When a professor discovered that the homework sent to him under a male pen name came from a woman...nothing stopped Sophie. And when she tackled a math problem that male scholars said would be impossible to solve...still, nothing stopped Sophie.

Who was Grace Hopper? A software tester, workplace jester, cherished mentor, ace inventor, avid reader, naval leader-AND rule breaker, chance taker, and troublemaker. Acclaimed picture book author Laurie Wallmark (Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine) once again tells the riveting story of a trailblazing woman. Grace Hopper coined the term “computer bug” and taught computers to “speak English.”

An introduction to the visionary woman who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial connects her life to her art. “For dreamers of all ages.” -Booklist

Meet the British big shots and find out why Benedict Arnold really went bad, get to know the founding fathers, such as John Hancock, and take a front row seat at Revolutionary War battles.

Text and comic illustrations explain the basics of the circulatory system as readers follow a red blood cell on its journey through the body.

Find out how scientists study some of the most extreme weather on Earth and learn about some of the most devastating weather events in history.

By weaving personal accounts of actual survivors together with the carefully researched history of Chicago and the disaster, Jim Murphy constructs a riveting narrative of the Great Fire of 1871 and recreates the event with drama and immediacy.

This biography tells the story of baseball great and humanitarian Roberto Clemente, who died tragically in a 1972 plane crash and later became the first Latin American player elected to the Hall of Fame.

Although he is shorter than most of his classmates and everyone discourages him from trying out for the basketball team, eight-year-old Chris just works harder than everyone else so his size will not matter.

Long before boycotts, sit-ins, and freedom rides, activist Ida B. Wells was hard at work to better the lives of African Americans.

Storms are SCARY! But it's cool to understand what's going on when Mother Nature gets angry. Why does the wind howl? Why does it rain for days? How do rivers overflow? Thunder and lightning, monsoons, hurricanes, tornadoes... the facts and photos in this book will blow you away!

Women have led the way in learning about the living things with which we share the planet. They have discovered dinosaur fossils and the tools made by our earliest ancestors, and were among the pioneers of the study of insects. They have spent years living with chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans in order to better understand the connections between humans and other primates. They have also pioneered the investigation of the genes by which adult organisms pass on characteristics to their young. 

In this book, readers will learn what immigrants went through as they arrived in the U.S. at Ellis Island in New York.

From Dr. Martin Luther King's sister, the definitive tribute to the man, the march, and the speech that changed a nation.

Dramatic, full-color photographs, engaging text, detailed facts, and impressive statistics bring kids up-close and personal with dangerous animals, natural wonders, ocean life, and the mysteries of the rainforest.

Turn the pages of this book if you dare to discover the science behind some of the strangest and deadliest plants on earth.

Journey through harsh cold and rugged mountain ranges to see how wolverines take down prey, raise their young, and live in one of the world's harshest environments.

At a time when being a woman and an African American limited what a mathematician might achieve, meet women who helped NASA win the space race. “An important story” -Kirkus

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a trailblazer. A fighter. A public servant who has dedicated her life to the pursuit of equality. When Ruth was a young girl, her mother encouraged her to read, be independent, and stand up for what she thought was right. Ruth graduated first in her class at Cornell University and tied for top of her graduating class at Columbia Law School. But she faced prejudice as both a woman and a Jew, making it difficult to get a job. Ruth eventually found work as a law clerk, and her determination, diligence, and skill led to a distinguished career as a lawyer.