There are absolutely wonderful German nonfiction series for children. The most well known is Ravensburger’s Wieso Weshalb Warum series that explain common topics (e.g. our bodies, robots, airplanes, Christmas traditions). In general, I find they go into more depth than Americans might expect for the target ages, which makes the books both a wonderful resource for young children, but also more flexible as a resource for older children. There are over 100 different spiral-bound books, with a large-format series for ages 4-7 and a smaller format “Junior” series for ages 2-4. Both of these series are sturdy, richly illustrated and include many flaps and other movable elements to engage children. More recently, Ravensburger introduced a “Wieso Weshalb Warum Profiwissen” series for ages 8-12. There are also a few spinoffs in alternate formats, such as early readers and activity books. Given the long publishing history, these books are easily found on the secondhand market and Amazon.com.

Almost any book in the Wieso Weshalb Warum series is a safe bet, but here are some of our personal favorites:

Junior Series (2-4):

Standard Series (4-7):

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