Author Profile
Nicholas Day
4 Books
Nicholas Day is an award-winning author who specializes in crafting captivating narrative nonfiction for young readers. He has a unique talent for transforming fascinating historical events, scientific mysteries, and artistic breakthroughs into page-turning stories. Day is perhaps best known for his Sibert Medal-winning book The Mona Lisa Vanishes, which explores the shocking heist of the world's most famous painting. He frequently collaborates with celebrated illustrators to bring complex topics to life, ranging from the volcanic origins of a global climate crisis to the philosophical journey of Charles Darwin. His engaging storytelling style makes history and science highly accessible and deeply entertaining for curious minds.
Charles Darwin is pacing in circles. He is hitting rocks with a stick. He is even staring intently at the bones left over from his dinner. When you face a tricky problem or a complicated idea, how do you work through it? Darwin had a lot of unusual ways to think, and those methods led him to some of the greatest discoveries about the origins of life on Earth.
Follow along on a journey around the world aboard a ship called The Beagle. You will discover that sometimes the best way to understand our world is to look closely, ask questions, and let your curiosity lead the way. This true story feels like a conversation with your smartest friend, bringing history and science to life.
With beautifully textured illustrations, this engaging biography shows that you do not need to sit perfectly still at a desk to have a brilliant thought.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
A packed audience sits breathless in a barnlike concert hall. Master pianist David Tudor walks onto the stage, sits at the piano, and does absolutely nothing. The performance has already begun. Can you hear it? The patter of rain on the roof, the rustle of the trees outside, the shifting of people in their seats.
In 1952, John Cage created a shocking musical composition called 4'33" consisting entirely of blank bars of music. He wanted to prove that silence does not actually exist and that the ambient sounds around us are their own kind of symphony. This offbeat history explores the hilarious and profound reactions to his controversial piece.
Through energetic, childlike artwork and warm, humorous writing, you will discover how to listen to the world in a brand new way. You do not need an instrument or a concert hall to experience incredible music. All you have to do is stop and listen.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
48 Pages
Jump in
The eel is a slippery, strange, and entirely baffling creature. You might think we know everything about where they are born, how they grow, and where they live. But the truth is, these mysterious misfits have been confusing experts for centuries!
Why it pulls you in
The more scientists study eels, the more they wriggle away from easy answers. You will dive into a real-life mystery that has puzzled some of the greatest minds in history. Even though they look exactly like snakes, we know they are fish, but how can we be sure we have the complete picture?
What you will discover
Packed with expressive, bright artwork and plenty of humor, this weird-but-true science adventure celebrates the joy of not knowing everything. It reminds you that the natural world is full of magical questions that do not always have simple answers.
6-8 Years
48 Pages
All the boy really wants is a peach tree. There is nothing quite like eating a perfectly ripe peach in the summer, feeling sticky and sweet. But when his eagerly awaited tree finally arrives in the spring, it does not look like a tree at all. It just looks like a completely ordinary stick.
Even his best friend Maya agrees it is nothing but a stick. But as the seasons turn, things begin to shift. What happens when you plant that stick and it actually grows leaves? And what happens when your best friend has to move away?
This tender, wise story explores the patience it takes to watch a tree grow and the resilience required when your world changes. You will discover a beautiful tale about the enduring power of friendship, the funny persistence of backyard rabbits, and the magic of one glorious, impossible peach.
6-8 Years
41 Pages
