Children's Book Suggestions | How To...

A selection of nonfiction "how to" books to match our 2025 Summer Reading theme, Level Up At Your Library! For more how to books, you can browse the online catalog or explore our nonfiction section, especially:

  • 001.5 | Coding
  • 507.8 | Science Experiments
  • 641.5 | Cooking & Baking
  • 736 | Origami
  • 745.5 | Crafts
  • 790s | Games (Including board games, video games, and sports)
Updated April 17, 2025
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
How to bake a universe
Carvlin, Alec
Paper Book
To bake a universe, you'll need a heaping pile of nothing. That's right, not a single thing! Just make sure you have enough . . . Alec Carvlin breaks down the Big Bang into the steps of a recipe, from the formation of quarks and atoms (preheat your oven to Absolute Hot) to the...
How to play chess
Paper Book
Learn chess the fun way and add firepower to your chess strategies with this beginner's guide to the world's most popular game of skill.  From the opening move to checkmate, How to Play Chess is an easy-to-follow guide to achieve grandmaster greatness....
How to build an insect
Gibson, Roberta Lynn
Paper Book
See what the buzz is about in this fresh, fun look at insect anatomy. Let's build an insect! In the pages of this book, you'll find a workshop filled with everything you need, including a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and much more. Written by entomologist Roberta Gibson...
Killer underwear invasion! : how to spot fake news, disinformation & conspiracy theories
Gravel, Elise
Paper Book
Can peanuts give you super strength? Were unicorns discovered on the moon? Did Martians really invade New Jersey? For anyone who has ever encountered outrageous stories like these and wondered whether they were true, this funny, yet informative book breaks down what fake news is, why people...
How to bird
Hamid, Rasha
Paper Book
Birding for everyone, everywhere. Birding is a joyful, wonder-filled activity that anyone can do. Featuring the skyline and natural spaces of New York City, How to Bird invites children to explore birdwatching, with each page featuring a new birding...
So embarrassing : awkward moments and how to get through them
Harper, Charise Mericle
Paper Book
A graphic novel that makes embarrassment into something hilarious - and normal.   You're not alone! No way are you the first kid who ever tripped and fell in public. Or spilled water on your pants so it looked like... you know! For those moments and more, here's...
How to be a color wizard : forage and experiment with natural art making
Logan, Jason
Paper Book
In a bountiful book combining art and chemistry, a celebrated ink maker invites kids to become color wizards--by foraging and transforming natural materials to make their own paint and artistic creations. In this book you will find secret recipes, magic formulas, and wild...
How to speak cat : a guide to decoding cat language
Newman, Aline Alexander
Paper Book
We know cats are beautiful, secretive, and independent ... but even the most loyal cat owners are often baffled by their own pet's behavior. With veterinarian expert Dr. Gary Weitzman as guide, this fun book helps kids understand what cats are trying to communicate by their body language and...
How to draw cute stuff
Nguyen, Angela
Paper Book
Enter Planet Cute--where kids can make any drawing absolutely adorable! Draw anything and everything--people, animals, and things--and make it CUTE. It's easy! Budding artists just have to pick up their pencils, pens, crayons, or gel markers and follow these step-by...
Forest Magic for Kids: How to Find Fairies, Make a Secret Fort, and Cook Up an Elfin Picnic
Spikol, Susie
Paper Book
Your enchanted guide to 50+ magical activities for everything from finding hidden flower fairies in your own backyard and making a special wizard staff to creating a tiny woodland village and making your own forest potions. Come discover the wild magic tucked into the...
How to explain robotics to a grown-up
Spiro, Ruth
Paper Book
The best-selling author of the Baby Loves Science series levels up with this playful STEM picture book introducing kids-and grown-ups-to the robotics world. Do you want to know a secret? Sometimes grown-ups need YOU to explain things to THEM. Like robotics! In this...
How to eat in space
Taylor, Helen Springhetti
Paper Book
A kid-friendly, accessible, and humorous picture book about the sometimes complicated task of eating while in outer space--spoiler: it's not as simple as it seems! Without a kitchen, plates, or cups, eating in space isn't easy. When food floats (and so do you),...

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