Three brilliant choices for young fact fans. Non-fiction books can be the perfect way into reading for curious minds and reluctant readers. Our first selection is 'Pick me up! Dinosaur.' Part of a brilliant new series of books which encourage readers to take them and play. This one imagines what a baby diplodocus might have gotten … Continue reading Dinosaurs, Sharks and Woodland Creatures – Oh my! First non-fiction from DK Books.
Can you remember your first word? Cat? Mum? Dad? This eye-catching look-and-point book is perfect for building young children's vocabulary. All little children are endlessly fascinated by the world around them and want to know what things are. This engaging book is a mixture of vibrant realife photos and bright, colourful illustrations. Chat about what's … Continue reading ‘100 First Words,’ from DK.
The daffodils are out and Spring has sprung. It's the perfect time to enjoy this special anniversary edition celebrates 150 years since the birth of Beatrix Potter, creator of the world-renowned Peter Rabbit. This beautiful visual guide will take you on a journey through Beatrix Potter's life from childhood to her older years, giving you … Continue reading ‘The Ultimate Peter Rabbit – A Visual Guide to the World of Beatrix Potter,’ from Dorling Kindersley.
Head off on a watery adventure when you follow a boy and his Mom as they canoe across the mirror-like surface of the pond. As they row out over the water they encounter a diverse range of wildlife in the watery ecosystem. A hidden world of crayfish, turtles and bullfrogs. Whirligig beetles, caddisdly larva and … Continue reading ‘Over and Under the Pond,’ by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal.
Did you know that there was once an enormous snake called a Titanoboa which was over 14.5m long?! Find out more about this, and many other, prehistoric animals in the fascinating pages of this book. Organised into four subsections (plant-eaters, sea creatures, predators and creepy-crawlers), Animasaurus is absolutely packed full of the most terrifying and … Continue reading ‘Animasaurus-Incredible Animals that Roamed the Earth,’ by Tracey Turner, illustrated by Harriet Russell.
The next two books are from a new interactive book series aimed at toddlers and pre-schoolers. Both books have lots of fun interactive elements to physically engage young readers. There are plenty of glittery, bumpy trails for fingers to follow, encouraging the development of the fine motor skills needed for pre-writing. My three year old … Continue reading ‘Follow the Trail series,’ from DK.
A Pictorial Compendium of Natural Wonders. Have you ever wondered what the deepest land animal is? Or questioned what the largest herbivorous dinosaur was? This beautiful compendium of superlatives will give you all the answers. Featuring intricately detailed illustrations which allow for plenty of studying by young explorers, this book really is a visual delight. … Continue reading ‘Highest Mountain Deepest Ocean,’illustrated by Page Tsou.
I think books which encourage interaction from their readers are the best kinds of books. You don't get much more interactive than building your own dragon! As well as providing you with the chance to build a dragon, this book is also a goldmine of information about the history physiology of dragons. Presented like a … Continue reading ‘Build the Dragon,’ from Templar Publishing.
I was absolutely thrilled to have been sent a copy of this amazing book as I love unusual non-fiction texts. 'Midnight Creatures,' certainly ticks that box! This magical book encourages children to grab and touch and switch on their imaginations as they explore the creatures hiding in the shadows of five different habitats. They can … Continue reading ‘Midnight Creatures – A Pop-up Shadow Search,’ by Helen Friel.
To celebrate the cinematic release of J.K. Rowling's 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,' Buster Books have very generously given me a beautiful hardback edition of their monstrous colouring book, 'The Book of Beasts.' It's absolutely packed with brilliant illustrations of mythical and magical creatures from around the globe, with fascinating facts about them … Continue reading ‘The Book of Beasts – Colour and Discover’ Giveaway
Dive into the hidden depths of Abukir Bay, Egypt and discover the incredible sunken treasures and lost cities of Ancient Egypt. This publication was produced to accompany the BP exhibition: Sunken Cities: Egypt's Lost Worlds at The British Museum, which runs until the 27th November. When this arrived, it was snatched out of my hands by … Continue reading ‘Secret Treasure of Ancient Egypt,’ by Kate Sparrow and Esther Aarts
Young children ask lots of questions and have minds like sponges, so what better to provide the answers they're looking for than an encyclopedia designed especially with them in mind? This vibrant book is bursting with colourful guides, aimed at engaging young readers. Full of wbeautiful photos, illustrations and interesting information, the pages will guide your … Continue reading ‘My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things,’ from Dorling Kindersley Ltd.
As the season changes from Summer to Autumn, I'd like to introduce you to some brilliant books about the natural kingdom. Children always seem to fascinated by the world around them, particularly creepy-crawlies and wildlife. The books featured in this blog post will inspire children to go outside and hunt out the plants and creatures … Continue reading Natural Wonders of the Bookish World
There's been a lot of publicity recently, aimed at encouraging girls to pursue careers involving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.) This post celebrates all things 'girl power' as I review some of the titles I've been sent which focus on inspirational women and breaking down stereotypes. But don't worry - they're funny, endearing and … Continue reading Girl Power! ft. ‘Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World,’ and ‘Ada Twist, Scientist.’
Are you a literacy lover, a word wizard or an animal admirer? Then I have the picture book for you! Absolutely crammed full with a whole menagerie of collective nouns for some of your favourite animals, 'A Pandemonium of Parrots and other animals' is a visual delight from start to finish. No common herds of … Continue reading ‘A Pandemonium of Parrots and other animals,’ by Hui Skipp.
Have you ever wondered just how quickly a tortoise actually goes? Or just how fast you'd need to be to be faster than a speeding bullet? Then this is the book for you! This glorious picture book is crammed full of striking illustrations and fascinating facts to tantalise young minds. My my trusty sidekick dived in headfirst … Continue reading ‘Full Speed Ahead! How Fast Things Go,’ by Cruschiform
Planning on visiting London Town for some royal birthday celebrations? Then you need this fabulous A-Z guide crammed with all there is to know about our capital city! For those of you who need to 'step into the map' to navigate around a city, the first thing you're greeted with when you open the cover … Continue reading ‘L is for London’ by Paul Thurlby
Following a plea for more non-fiction books to review, Miles Kelly were generous enough to send us some of their best books - all in the name of science. We're going to kick off by reviewing not one, but three of the brilliant books from their '100 Facts' series. 100 Facts: Stars and Galaxies - In … Continue reading ‘100 Facts’ series from Miles Kelly Publishing
My Super Sidekick was very excited when we received a copy of this fantastic interactive book to review from Bloomsbury. Thank you! 'Self-destructing Science - Space' allows budding astronauts to explore wormholes and the big bang theory through a series of amazing interactive challenges and games. Cutting, scribbling, folding and experimenting - it cleverly combines … Continue reading ‘Self-destructing Science – Space’ by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Nikalas Catlon
It is brilliant to see non-fiction books starting to be produced in the same eye-catching way as many picture books and fiction titles already are. Authors and publishing companies are beginning to understand that today's young readers want innovative layouts and great illustrations in the books they choose to read. 'Rebel Science' aims to introduce … Continue reading ‘Rebel Science’ by Dan Green and David Lyttleton
Library Girl and Book Boy 