By Tori Hamilton, Children's Library Associate, Glenpool Library

Want your children to read more nonfiction? It starts with teaching them how. When was the last time you read an entire cookbooks straight through? That's right, with nonfiction, readers generally dip in, find what they need, and save the rest for later. When children don't feel pressured to read the entire book from start to finish, nonfiction titles become much more appealing! Try some of these nonfiction numbers to find books that invite children to sample as much or as little as they desire.

  • 005, Computer programming - There have been a lot of fantastic books about coding for kids published in the last few years. Ranging from simple explanations of coding to step-by-step instructions on making games, these books will be sure to fascinate your budding computer programmer. 
  • 641, Food and drink - Got a budding Top Chef on your hands? Check out the range of cookbooks in the children's section. Featuring recipes for delectable lunchbox treats, fairytale feasts, and literary classics (green eggs and ham, anyone?), these titles will whet your family's appetite for books and keep them hungry for more!
  • 793, Indoor games and amusements - For rainy day occupations or entertainment on long car rides, check out 793 to find a plethora of books that let readers make their own fun, such as the I Spy and Can You See What I See? series, as well as books on sleight of hand, card tricks, logic puzzles, and party planning.
  • 688, Manufactured products - "Manufactured products? That sounds boring!" Doesn't it? But do you know what counts as a manufactured product? Lego bricks. Keep your own master builder feeling like everything is awesome with a stack of Lego instruction books.
  • 745, Decorative arts - Although the whole 700s section is dedicated to arts and leisure, with various numbers dedicated to painting, sculpture, and photography, 745 is where most of the children's arts and crafts are located. Break out the glue and the glitter, folks, and get your cameras ready. Your kid may be a star on Pinterest.
  • 791, Public performances - Is your child Star Wars obsessed? Or maybe they can quote every Disney/Pixar movie from memory? Consider looking in 791 for movie companions and guidebooks, full of behind-the-scenes info, creator commentaries, and additional art.
  • 811 and 821, American poetry and English poetry - After you've finished explaining to your kids that American English and British English are not actually separate languages, you can show them where we keep these two (apparently completely different) collections of poetry. Though these books may disagree on punctuation and spelling in a few places, your child will find that both sections speak the same lyrical language.

Of course, these aren't the only Dewey numbers that inspire idle browsing. An afternoon skimming books, flipping pages, and looking at pictures is good for any topic, from animals to architecture or from trivia to travel. What's important is that children learn to love books for the information they contain, whether they read the whole thing or not.