Interesting Nonfiction Picture Book Authors to Include in Your Homeschool Library

One of the best parts of homeschooling is building a homeschool library. It sounds intimidating, but it’s actually a whole lot of fun, especially if you’re into children’s literature. I have small children, so this post is going to focus on nonfiction authors, primarily picture books about nature. My two boys can read chapter books, and I read chapter books and picture books aloud to them, but I am far more familiar with picture books than chapter books at this point in my life. I am going to share with you some of my favorite interesting nonfiction picture book authors to include in your homeschool library.

Tell Yourself that You Have a Library

The first step to building a homeschool library is to tell yourself that you have a library. Most people own a handful of picture books before homeschooling. Even if you have a small amount of good picture books for your kids, you in fact do have a library. It’s just really small, and may need some improvement.

When I was first homeschooling, I didn’t think I had a library because I thought I needed all the picture books I saw on social media (I have social media so I can see what other people read). It’s helpful to remember that a home library is your collection of books (whatever the number of books that may be), and it takes a long time to build a good collection. I am talking years. You also don’t have to have all your books in one room and call it, “The library.” We have children’s books in almost every room of the house. It’s a good rule to have books in every room.

Include a Variety of Books in Your Library

If all you have are Little Critter books (probably my favorite twaddle), then it’s good to think about getting other genres such as poetry, nonfiction, and better fiction books. One purpose for building a homeschool library is to enjoy a wide variety of books with your children. Think about what kind of books you want to see lying around your house. You want bookshelves too, but it’s also about having books out and about – poetry books, picture books about nature, picture books about historical figures, books that make you laugh, classics. I think you get my point. All of those thoughts have helped me search out interesting nonfiction picture book authors to include in my homeschool library.

How to Start Building a Homeschool Library

The best way to begin building a homeschool library is to go slow. Don’t buy a ton of picture books by authors with whom you aren’t familiar. Go to the library and find the books you like. When you find the books you like, then purchase those books. You will slowly find the authors you enjoy reading and want to include in your homeschool library. Using booklists can speed up the process.

My library has a small rack with used library books you can buy. I have been able to find a number of good books there. Thrift stores are also great places to find books. If you are curious about a book, YouTube has channels where picture books are read aloud. I have listened to people read picture books aloud so I can determine if it’s a book I want to purchase. What’s even better is to find an older homeschool mom who has good taste in picture books and ask for recommendations.

Good Nonfiction Picture Book Authors

I use Charlotte Mason inspired nature studies with my kids. That means we use lots of picture books to learn about science and nature. Over the past three years of reading lots of nonfiction picture books, I have come to really enjoy certain authors. Here are a few favorites!

Jim Arnosky

He writes nonfiction books about animals, including animals in the Sonoran Desert. His books are good for children four and up.

Cathryn Sill

Her books are very short and basic. They are great for small children around 3-7 years old. Some of her books are available in Spanish.

Gail Gibbons

She’s similar to Jim Arnosky. Gail Gibbons writes about almost every nonfiction topic kids would be interested in.

Yuval Zimmer

His books have facts about
animals intermingled with beautiful
illustrations.

Diane L. Burns

These guides are great and easy for kids to read.

Anne Rockwell

She writes for young children ages 2-4 or so.

Dianna Hutts Ashton

Beautifully written and illustrated. We have a number of her books.

Julia Rothman

Great reference books!

Kate Messner

She writes about different ecosystems in an engaging manner.

I hope some of these suggestions were helpful for you as you begin to find interesting nonfiction picture book authors to include in your homeschool library. Comment below if there are any books or authors you would add to the list.

Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com