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A visually lively introduction to evolution, this book connects cells, changing environments, extinction events and human origins across immense stretches of time. Its clear sequence and labels may help readers build a first framework for how life changes.

This is a practical route into history: making models and objects gives readers something to do while learning about pioneer homes, transport, communication and maps in the American West.

A focused introduction to the Battle of the Little Bighorn, centred on the United States Army’s defeat near the Little Bighorn River in Montana in 1876.

Expect an introductory historical account centred on the Völkerwanderung, with the subject presented as a children’s knowledge book rather than a fictional story.

A lively introduction to people presented as admirable for different reasons, from persistence and kindness to peace activism. Its short portraits can spark curiosity, though they offer little context for weighing each person’s whole life.

A richly visual memoir follows Say from childhood in Japan through wartime upheaval and family strain to a serious apprenticeship with cartoonist Noro Shinpei.

This is an informational collection of women’s wartime experiences, spanning roles such as medical work, journalism, resistance and revolutionary activity. It presents participation on multiple sides of the Vietnam War rather than treating the conflict as an all-male story.

A visually rich introduction to freshwater, moving from scientific foundations to living habitats and worldwide challenges. Its final practical section invites readers to connect large environmental questions with choices at home and in their communities.

This is a structured historical introduction to slavery, combining broad chronology with accounts of enslaved people’s lives, journeys and escapes. Its contemporary coverage may help connect past systems with slavery that still exists.

A child’s-eye memoir about displacement, family love and survival, moving from wartime adventure-like discoveries towards the realities of bombing, Bergen-Belsen, starvation, illness and bereavement.

This is a playful environmental story in which Emily takes her imagined whale seriously, while Greenpeace offers factual explanations about migration, space and animals’ freedom.

This is an emotionally candid memoir about depression, coming out and survival. It offers a first-person account of painful experiences alongside reflection on identity, social messages, relationships, memory and the gradual work of finding self-acceptance.

This is a history-and-culture book about Native American peoples, including the period before European contact and later relations with white people. It also signals an effort to challenge myths and stereotypes.

A brisk historical introduction to Coronado’s expedition, combining travel, geography and conflict. Its central focus is the search for wealth, alongside encounters with Pueblo peoples and the expedition’s disappointing outcome.

A broad introduction to China combining people’s perspectives with geography, ethnic diversity, political change and population pressures. Its distinctive angle is connecting national developments with how individuals feel about them.