THOUGHT-PROVOKERS

Starting from Scratch: What You Should Know about Food and Cooking
Sarah Elton; Jeff Kulak, illus.
(Owlkids)

In Real Life
Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang
(First Second Books)

If: A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbers
David J. Smith; Steve Adams, illus.
(Kids Can Press)

Kids are bombarded with information every day. These three books, two non-fiction and a graphic novel, each take a sensible, entertaining approach to ferreting out the truth and presenting the facts that matter. From eating locally to global wealth distribution to workers’ rights, the issues explained are vital to a child’s developing understanding of the world. These books get it right.