Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, by Nathan Hale

I often get the very same question from parents across the country: “My son is 10 (or 9, or 11) and I can’t find anything he wants to read these days.” I always answer the very same way: “Have you tried ‘Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales’”? These books are, quite simply, brilliant. They worked like magic when my first son turned 9 and began to get restless with the usual novelistic fare offered to kids that age. The author/illustrator — whose real name is Nathan Hale, like the Revolutionary War hero — channels his historical namesake to tell thrilling, bloody, action-packed stories from American history. The conceit is this: It’s the night before Hale is going to be hanged by the British for being a spy, and he is able to see ahead into the whole of the history of the nation he is giving his life for. He gathers the other prisoners in his jail cell to tell about the Underground Railroad, the Alamo, the Donner Party — my son’s favorite — World War I, and more. Of course, there are lots of other great books for history loving, visually oriented 9-year-olds. But Nathan Hale should be your first stop.

‘Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Journey to Justice,’ by Debbie Levy. Illustrated by Whitney Gardner.

The inspirational life of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is already the subject of several excellent picture books, but this graphic biography is packed with artfully presented details that flesh out a fuller picture of RBG. The author conducted interviews with the Justice herself, and she also includes documents such as a column Ginsburg wrote for her middle school newspaper on the United Nations Charter and a bit in her synagogue newsletter about building community after the Holocaust. We see young Ruth standing her ground when a teacher tells her she has to write with her right hand — she is a proud lefty. When another tells her not to sing in choir because she can’t carry a tune, she turns to piano lessons instead. When Ruth gets to law school and into her legal career, Levy makes the concepts easily understood, and Gardner’s lovely images move the story along too.

Science Comics

Rocks and minerals, the digestive system, crows, skyscrapers, wild weather: This series — written by a handful of authors — seems determined to offer a useful introduction to anything a curious grade-school student might wonder about. The insight behind these books is a powerful one. So much information about the world around us is actually better conveyed visually, through charts, illustrations and sequential panels, than purely using words. (Imagine if the directions for putting together your new Ikea bed came only in words.) That’s not to say the words aren’t helpful, too — with their peppy tone and dashes of humor, they add to the package. But it’s the clear, attractive visuals that will keep your kid turning the pages.