Am interested primarily in books rooted in the real world that kids can relate to. Like stories based on...
- the lives of interesting people (Semmelweis, Curie, or maybe even just someone who lived through interesting times or with an interesting outlook on life), - how everyday life looked like in the past and/or accounts of human history through the eyes of a child living back then, - how everyday life looks like today for kids in different countries, - travel, adventure and curiosity.
Fiction is also fine if you think the main character would be someone you'd want your child to spend time with and learn from.
The books don't necessarily have to be books written specifically for kids. For instance, I find that my daughter (6) loves it when I read to her Sebastian Haffner's "Defying Hitler", which I discovered here on HN. It's not a book written for children at all, but it's been one of her favorites for weeks now. She only understands about 90 % of it - but that leads us into some of our most interesting conversations.
Yes, I suspect the book isn’t quite what you’re looking for, but it is actually a very funny (if adult) book, at least the first time you read it…
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Go-F-Sleep-Adam-Mansbach/dp/145584165...
The Book with No Picture is a blast for kids age 4 to 8. Mine have so much fun when I read it.
The Gruffalo is another a really great book for that age.
You have to add a good rhythm in how you read it.