By the very definition, an educational book is one that teaches you something new. Many people take this to mean  something academic, such as history and math, but that's a very narrow minded view.

Recently, I purchased a book for my father-in-law that taught him about birds and bird calls. He always loved birds, but never thought about learning their names. He just liked the way they looked and sound, but has a new appreciation because he find out more about them.

A book that tells me how to play a guitar or piano is an educational book. If we want to get down to brass tacks, then a book that educates me how to kill a boss in a video game is an educational book. For children, most books are educational. While a book about farm animals isn't exactly news to me, my toddler finds it fascinating and when we drive down the road and he yells moo cow, that book's job is done.

Your local bookstore, if you still have any of those, are filled with educational books in almost every section. Bird calls, accounting and even computer programming are all on the table. As long as you stay away from the fiction section, you're probably find something you can learn from. It could be a cook book from Betty Crocker or on the basics of baseball or Parcheesi. It's all about perspective.