Newest Children's Non-Fiction Reviews
From TheBookbag
Children's non-fiction
What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry
As its title suggests, the book is about what people do all day. Since different people all do different things, the book covers a lot of topics. The first section looks at Busy Town itself along the high street. This book truly shines with some of the best examples of Scarry's illustrations, as we see the town above ground, and below ground in intricate detail. We see the men digging tunnels and the underground pipes, street cleaners at work, and peeks into the bank and various shops as well as the fire department, doctor, dentist, and so on. All are clearly labelled and much fun is to be had after reading the narrative, looking at and discussing all the marvellous detail. As the book progresses, we get to see what Mummy does all day at home, what the farmer does, the door to door salesman, the policeman, the fireman, the blacksmith, the postmen, the ferry workers, and so on. Full review...
The Big Field: A Teachers' Guide by Anne Morddel
This teachers' guide is designed to accompany The Big Field: A Child's Year Under the Southern Cross by Anne Morddel. The inspiration for the book came about when the author worked as a librarian at a school in the state of Paranã in Brazil. In trying to find a book about the seasons (and how the natural world around them changed) for children in the five to eleven age group she realised that none existed for the southern hemisphere. She set out to remedy the situation. Full review...
The Big Field: A Child's Year Under the Southern Cross by Anne Morddel
My Mama and Papa work hard in the city and they're always busy. That's why we live on Granny's farm, Chloe and Baby and me.
We never know the name, or gender of the narrator, but it's a gentle, sensitive voice which guides us through the seasons. The farm – Southern Cross - has been in the family for at least three generations, as Granny's grandfather burned all the trees in the big field and planted coffee and soybeans. Her father did the same but Granny says that she keeps forgetting to plough – but she says it with a smile. She has something else in mind for the field. Full review...
Moi and Marie Antoinette by Lynn Cullen and Amy Young
Marie Antoinette and her pug dog, Sebastien, had an idyllic life in her native Austria. She was the fifteenth child of the Empress, who, in the traditions of the time, used her children to make marriages which would strengthen her own position. Marie Antoinette was told at the age of thirteen that she was to marry a Prince – the grandson of the King of France. Sebastien narrates this charming tale of Marie Antoinette's journey to France, her marriage, life at Versailles and the birth of her daughter Therese. It stops mercifully short of her execution. Full review...
A Picture History of Great Discoveries by Clarke Hutton
As soon as I opened this book I was taken back in time by about half a century. In a frieze around my classroom walls were lithographs by Clarke Hutton and they're all to be founds here in this book first published in 1954. Unusually it's the illustrator who is given credit for the book with Mabel George's text only being acknowledged on the title page of the book. Full review...
The Human Machine by Richard Walker
In my youth (yes, alright – but it was quite some time ago) books for children about the human body were written in text-book style with some parts being obviously well-thumbed and others largely ignored other than by those who would be going on to do A level biology. As a result many people of my generation are ignorant about how their body really works – or only learn about it when something goes wrong. The Human Machine: An Owner's Guide to the Body is a welcome look at the subject written in a chatty and informal style and in a format familiar to the target age group of eight plus. Full review...
Outstanding Olympics by Clive Gifford
With 2008 being the year of the Beijing Olympics an authoritative book for children on the Olympic movement is opportune. The fact this one is written by Clive Gifford – sports fanatic and award-winning children's writer – is a real bonus. Gifford has a chatty style which pulls you in from page one. Full review...
Prince Caspian: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Ernie Malik
Who would have thought that Prague in the Czech Republic could so convincingly masquerade as 1940s London, complete with authentic Routemaster buses and the lions of Trafalgar Square? This sleight of hand and many more are revealed in the Official Movie Companion to the forthcoming CS Lewis adaptation, Prince Caspian. Full review...
101 Things You Wish You'd Invented and Some You Wish No One Had by Richard Horne and Tracey Turner
Gearing up for the long school summer holidays yet? If not, you probably should be. It always pays to plan in advance. Bored children aren't a pretty sight. You could certainly prepare yourself well by taking a look at the latest in Bloomsbury's 101 Things To Do series. This one is Things You Wish You'd Invented and it entertained me for a good few hours. Full review...
The Ultimate Survival Guide For Boys by Mike Flynn
A potentially interesting book about how to survive in the wilderness or your back garden, which unfortunately misses the mark by not being enough of one thing or the other. It's worth a read, but you wouldn't take it on a dangerous camping trip to the back garden. Full review...
Ouch! Extreme Feats of Human Endurance by Georgina Phillips
Everything from Shackleton to Ellen MacArthur, by way of the Japanese word for fried rice-field grasshopper, and 32 hour long after dinner speeches. Ouch! contains fascinating trivia on every page that children will love to repeat back to you at length. Full review...
If Dinosaurs Were Alive Today by Dougal Dixon
As a child and even during my daughter's childhood, dinosaurs had not really gripped the public consciousness in the way that they have done over the last decade or so. This was useful in reviewing If Dinosaurs Were Alive Today as it meant that I approached the book with interest and curiosity but without being burdened by a great deal of prior knowledge.
I was impressed. Full review...
