If there's one thing we can say about gifted kids, it's that they have an almost unquenchable thirst for knowledge. They may not all want to know about everything about all things, but they most want to know everything about some things. Whether it's about space or dinosaurs, the human body or the Earth, or about numbers, language, or any other topic under the sun, one or more topics has captured the interest and passion of some gifted child.

Feed your child's thirst for knowledge with books on his favorite topic.

Reference Books

Reference books are books that we use to find information we need. We could consider all non-fiction book as reference books since they all contain information we might want to know. But reference books are really books that contain just the facts we're looking for - the meaning of a word, words with similar meanings, a description of a specific dinosaur, an explanation of the formation of a tornado.

Dictionaries for Children
When we think about dictionaries, we think of a book that will tell us what a word means, its part of speech, and possibly some other information. Did you know there are different kinds of dictionaries? How about a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms? Or a dictionary of idioms? Or math? Or science? Yes, there really are such dictionaries.

Encyclopedias for Kids
Just as you can find specialized dictionaries, you also find specialized encyclopedias. And you can find one on just about every possible topic: astronomy, science, animals, dinosaurs, the human body, the Earth, and some explaining how things work.

If your child craves knowledge, start with some encyclopedias on her favorite subjects.

Thesauruses for Children
A thesaurus is something like a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms. The original thesaurus grouped words by concepts, making it a bit different from a straightforward synonym dictionary. Kids who love language will no doubt enjoy using a thesaurus since they can expand their vocabulary and learn more about words.

Science

Science includes so many subjects that it's hard to imagine there isn't at least one that gifted child wouldn't like to know more about. If you have a science-loving child at home, I'm betting that he would probably like to learn more about several different topics.

Children's Books about DNA
We hear about DNA all the time. What exactly is it? You might enjoy reading some of these books right along with your child. Unless you are a scientist yourself who has studied DNA, you may find out some things you had not known about it!

Dinosaur Books for Children
This is a topic that seems to be a favorite of all kids, gifted or not. The list of books about dinosaurs is virtually endless. (I know because this was one of my son's favorite topics and I bought many, many books about dinosaurs.) If your child is as much of a fan of dinosaurs as my son was, almost any book about dinosaurs will make him happy. But some books are really exceptional.

Children's Books about Clouds
Look up at the sky and what might you see? Clouds. Cloud watching was a favorite activity of many children, me included, when I was growing up. We would lie on the grass, hands under our heads, and watch the clouds float across the sky. We'd see different shapes the clouds made - rabbits, flowers, dogs, pretty much everything. Where do clouds come from, we'd wonder.

Children's Books about the Weather
Weather is a part of our daily lives and affects what we do and sometimes how we do it. We can go outside without a coat when its warm. We can walk outside in the rain, if we want to, but only if it's not raining too hard. Then we want to get out of the rain. Some days there is a light breeze and some days are still. And on some days in some places, the winds are very, very strong. What's with all that weather? What causes it?

Books About the Moon
I don't think there is a human who ever lived who didn't look up at the moon and wonder about it. When I was a kid, we still talked about the Man in the Moon and the moon being made of green cheese. These days, we not only know exactly what the moon is made out of, we also can see pictures of the moon, right up close, and we can even see real rocks that once lay on the moon's surface. What all do we know about the moon?

Math

Books about math? Like workbooks? No, not like workbooks. There are books for kids about various math concepts like Pi. For kids who love math, these kinds of books are pure joy.

Books About Pi
You know Pi, right? It's 3.14 - plus and endless number of digits. What's that number all about? What makes it so special? Your math-loving child will no doubt love reading about Pi.

Biographies

Biographies tend to be one of the favorite book genres of gifted kids. The enjoy learning about different people and their lives. Some people lived fascinating lives and some people's lives are truly inspirational.

Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln is one of those people whose live is both fascinating and inspirational. He came from very humble beginnings to become a U.S. president, and not just any president, but a very admired and influential one.

Thomas Jefferson Biographies
Jefferson played a major role in early American history. He was a truly brilliant and amazing man, who some people consider a bundle of contradictions.

Biographies of Gifted Women
Learning about gifted women who have had an impact on the world is not only an interesting activity, it is also good for gifted little girls who often end up "dumbing down" in order to make friends and get boyfriends.

History

When I was in school, I didn't much care for history. All we did was memorize facts - mostly names and dates. As I grew older, I realized that the world is what it is today because of what it was before. Virtually every event in the past has had some kind of influence on how events unfolded and continue to unfold. When kids learn history and think about the connection between the events of the past and current events, they gain a greater understanding of modern life and attitudes.

Books for Kids About the American Revolution
It's hard to think of many events in history that had a greater impact on the world than the American Revolution. The idea of a people governing themselves and putting the rights of the individual above the power of the government was a genuinely radical idea. It is an idea that changed the world forever.

Books About the US Constitution for Kids
The word "constitution" is heard a lot. Many countries have a constitution that determines how their government operates. But not everyone realizes how unique the U.S. Constitution was and still is.

Books for Kids About the Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor led to the American entry into World War II. Until then, America remained neutral. What happened during that attack? Why did America join the Allies after the attack?

Books for Children About September 11
The attacks on September 11 is forever etched in the minds of most adults, but most children weren't born yet when the attack occurred or were too young when it happened to remember it. Even though children don't remember it, they can't help but be aware of it, much as my generation was aware of WWII. I was born the year after the war ended, so I have no memory of it, but everyone in my family remembered it vividly. And images of the war were still everywhere. Recent history is different from older history because we are surrounded by those with vivid memories of it and it continues to have more immediate effects on current life.

Other Non-Fiction Books

Some non-fiction books don't fit in any major subject category, but that doesn't mean that some gifted kids won't enjoy them.

General Cookbooks
Cookbooks just for kids can be very useful for kids who are picky eaters. Sometimes when they are able to participate in the preparation of a meal, they are more willing to try it out. It's a good way to ease them into eating foods they've been resisting.

Character Cookbooks
If you have a particularly resistant picky eater, you might be able to entice them to try something new by having them prepare recipes presented by their favorite characters - Cookie Monster, Elmo, Bert and Ernie, Dora the Explore, Spongebob Squarepants, and many more.