Difference between revisions of "Newest Children's Non-Fiction Reviews"
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==Children's non-fiction== | ==Children's non-fiction== | ||
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| + | |title=Paddington's Guide to London | ||
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| + | |summary=Some things are just a brilliant idea. Young Paddington Bear has written a guide book to his adopted home in the way that only he could do it. All his old friends are there – Mr and Mrs Brown and their children Jonathan and Judy along with their housekeeper Mrs Bird and of course we mustn't forget Paddington's old friend Mr Gruber who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of London. So, where is Paddington planning to take you? | ||
| + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007415915</amazonuk> | ||
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|author=Chris Van Allsburg | |author=Chris Van Allsburg | ||
Revision as of 16:54, 15 June 2011
Children's non-fiction
Paddington's Guide to London by Michael Bond
Some things are just a brilliant idea. Young Paddington Bear has written a guide book to his adopted home in the way that only he could do it. All his old friends are there – Mr and Mrs Brown and their children Jonathan and Judy along with their housekeeper Mrs Bird and of course we mustn't forget Paddington's old friend Mr Gruber who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of London. So, where is Paddington planning to take you? Full review...
Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg
Annie Edson Taylor was sixty-two years old and a widow. She didn't have very much money saved and she was worried about her future - until she had an inspiration. She would have a barrel made - a very stout and water-tight barrel - and she would be the first person to brave the thundering waters of Niagra Falls in this barrel. Chris Van Allsburgh tells us her story from the moment of inspiration right through to the times after the epic trip, but in truth the words are simpy there to eleborate on his wonderful drawings. They're so good that you could be forgiven for thinking that they're black and white photographs on occasions. Full review...
NLP For Teens by Judy Bartkowiak
NLP For Teens is part of the Engaging NLP series and is a follow-on from NLP for Children. Many a parent has been tempted to leave home when their children are teenagers; difficult as it is for the parents it's a traumatic time for the teens and anything which makes it a little easier is to be applauded particularly when the changes will come from the teens rather than being imposed by the parent. Full review...
A Horrid Factbook: Horrid Henry's Bodies by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
When you eat or chew, did you know that little clumps of earwax fall out of your ears! And in a lifetime you produce enough urine to fill about 450 baths! Do you know how loud the loudest burp was? Or what a bogey is made of? If these are the sort of facts and figures, complete with a handful of Horrid Henry and Tony Ross' illustrations, that would rock your child's world then this is the book for you! Full review...
Who Stole Mona Lisa? by Ruthie Knapp and Jill McElmurry
Taking in a history of its production, as well as its theft, Who Stole Mona Lisa? is an intriguing look at La Gioconda. The story is told from the point of view of Leonardo da Vinci's painting herself, and will strike a chord with any intelligent and curious youngsters. Full review...
Take Me Home: Tales of Battersea Dogs by Melissa Wareham
Melissa Wareham always wanted a dog but her parents would never allow it and she didn't get good enough exam results for her next option – becoming a vet. Not one to be deterred she joined the staff at Battersea Dogs Home, first as a kennel maid and eventually as the head of rehoming. 'Take Me Home' is the story of some of the highlights of her life at the home and some of the dogs which she met whilst she was there. Full review...
The Story of Britain by Patrick Dillon and P J Lynch
Author Patrick Dillon has put together a clear, well-written and beautifully concise story of Britain, summing up the history of Britain and Ireland in a little over 320 pages. Significant events, ranging from the Norman Conquest to the South Sea Bubble, and groups of people ranging from highwaymen to the Romantic poets, are each dealt with in between 1 and 3 pages written in Dillon's chatty, easy to read style. There are also maps, including those of the D-Day landings and the Civil War battles, a timeline for each major period (Middle Ages, Tudors, Stuarts, Georgians, Victorians and Twentieth Century) and some gorgeous illustrations by former Kate Greenaway winner PJ Lynch. Full review...
How To Get What You Want by Nina Grunfeld
How To Get What You Want is a self help book aimed at young people 'at a crossroads in their life', who are unsure what to do next. The author is a Life Coach who recognises that simply knowing what you want to do is half the battle towards achieving it, and sets out to help the reader identify who they are and what they really want using self awareness type exercises like the 'Balance Chart'. Later on the book deals with how to achieve those goals by giving advice on how to focus and think positively. Full review...
Pop-Up: A Paper Engineering Masterclass by Ruth Wickings and Frances Castle
With its subtitle of A Paper Engineering Masterclass, you know exactly what you're getting from Pop-Up. You'll see how pop-up books are made, learn the tips of the trade, and make four elaborate 3D models yourself. If you're not rushing out to buy it immediately, there's something wrong with you! Full review...
Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention by Wallace and Gromit
We don't have many rules around these 'ere parts, but one of them is that we don't review TV tie-in books. It's not snobbery; it's just that there's only so many books we have time to cover and TV covers itself quite nicely already. So I'm being naughty by reviewing Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention, but I don't care. I couldn't resist it! And Christmas is coming up, so you need some gift ideas, don't you? Full review...
The Tolpuddle Boy: Transported to Hell and Back by Alan James Brown
In 1834, six men from the Dorset village of Tolpuddle were deported to Australia for their trade union activities. This book, written in a very simple style for children, tells the true story of what happened to them, the politics of their arrest and deportation and the campaign by trade unionists and other supporters of trade union rights to overturn their convictions. Full review...
The Big Green Book by Ian Winton and Fred Pearce
Well, the title's right: it's big, it's green (in message, not colour) and it's a book. The Big Green Book is a super guide to environmental issues for young kids. It's packed to the brim with information, and has more flaps and pop-ups than you could shake a stick at. Full review...
Hieroglyphs From A To Z by Peter Der Manuelian
This look at hieroglyphs comes with stencils, so that children can write out their own coded messages. It's a simple introduction for any budding Egyptologists, and has a lot of additional information about Ancient Egypt to keep them interested. Full review...
Katie and the Waterlily Pond by James Mayhew
When Katie and Grandma are at the art gallery, they see there's a competition to paint a picture in the style of Monet. Grandma has a bit of a rest, whilst Katie goes off to look at the Monet exhibition for inspiration. When one of the paintings speaks to her - really speaks to her - she steps inside it and explores... Subtitled A Magical Journey Through Five Monet Masterpieces, Katie and the Waterlily Pond is a wonderful introduction for children to art in general and Claude Monet in particular. They'll get a feel for In The Woods and Giverny, Bathers at La Grenouillère, Path Through the Poppies, The Waterlily Pond, and The Rue Montorgueil, Paris. Full review...
Play The Shape Game by Anthony Browne
You might have already played the shape game. It involves doing a squiggle on a piece of paper, then either you or someone else has to turn that squiggle into a full picture. Anthony Browne played it lots when he was little, and now he's playing it with 45 celebrities and you. Proceeds from the book and the auction of the artwork are going to The Rainbow Trust Children's Charity, who provide emotional and practical support to families who have a child with a life threatening or terminal illness. A fantastic cause. Full review...
Dewey: The True Story of a World-famous Library Cat by Vicki Myron and Brett Witter
This heart-warming book tells the wonderful true story of a cat called Dewey. His beginnings were very humble and his life could quite probably have been quite short if it had not been for a fortuitous event that occurred one cold winter morning. Vicki Myron, the chief librarian at Spencer Library in Iowa, heard some very strange noises coming from the book drop box that borrowers used in order to return their books when the library was closed. On opening the box she discovered a small, dirty, shivering kitten and her heart melted. As a consequence, the kitten, which was soon to be named Dewey, was adopted and became the official library cat. Full review...
Have You Started Yet?: You and your period: getting the facts straight by Ruth Thomson and Chloe Thomson
Every young girl will face her periods starting but it’s the preparation which goes on beforehand which will determine whether or not this is seen as the body developing naturally or a problem. Both are attitudes which are likely to stay through life and it’s obviously better that it’s the firmer rather than the latter. ‘’Have You Started Yet’’ gives factual information in an informative and reassuring manner and in a form which is easily readable to girls of about nine years old and above. Full review...
Dreadful Fates by Tracey Turner
Imagine the delight you get, as a book reviewer, when you chance upon a title that stands out, by filling a nice handy gap in the market you'd never even noticed, and doing it so well you want to alert as many people as possible. This is such a time, Dreadful Fates is such a book, and as for the gap… This book hits upon the darker corners of all those copious 'highlights of history for the kids' books, touches upon The Darwin Awards compilations of stupid people dying in stupid ways, and merges with those collections of famous last words and epitaphs some of us like flicking through now and again – and does it all for the under-thirteen audience. Full review...
Would You Believe...in Mexico people picnic at granny's grave?! by Richard Platt
Well if there’s one important aspect of families, it is that books are included. It is evident from the details, trivia and facts here that you don’t need a father, a mother, or siblings. You might even have several spreads of half- and step-siblings, and copious parents here, there and everywhere. You might get to have a nanny, a cohort of family helpers, but one thing I would thrust on anybody would be a collection of books at home – and yes, books such as these tidy 48 pages would be among them. Full review...
Would You Believe...bed testers get paid to sleep?! by Richard Platt
It is quite certain the reader of this book will not be a bed tester, however broad the smile it carries as it suggests anyone can get the employment they dream after. Neither will she or he be a vital scribe for some ancient civilisation, a slave, a drudge, or a worker in a Communist collective farm. But it is definitely an eye-opener how all that and so much more can be considered by just 48 tidy pages. Full review...
Would You Believe...Vatican City is a country?! by Richard Platt
Cities don’t just spring up around us. They have taken thousands of years of civilisation to form, however surprising that might appear at times. Conversely, there are some who are just a few hundreds of years old that have been empty for centuries, and others that have been planned over a drawing board and become a capital city in a decade-long instant. All are within these tidy 48 pages. Full review...
Would You Believe...two cyclists invented the aeroplane?! by Richard Platt
Where can you find a welter of trivia and facts about transport from the ages, from the first use of Shanks’s pony, to the latest holidays to the edge of space? What has so much detail it can fit in the reasons for Mark Twain’s pen-name? Where can the adult browsing their child’s non-fiction library find a 'Glamorous Glennis' going 'kinda screwy' and see how it refers to the breaking of the sound barrier? In these tidy 48 pages, for one. Full review...
Science: Sorted! Evolution, Nature and Stuff by Glenn Murphy
Ever wanted to know about evolution, nature and stuff? Unsurprisingly, this is the book for you. If you're interested in space, black holes and stuff, then Glenn Murphy has also written a sister book in the Science: Sorted! series packed full of all the information you'd want to know. It's all written with the fabulous quality that made Why is Snot Green? such a must-read. Full review...
Talk to the Hand by Nicole Dryburgh
We first met Nicole Dryburgh in her book The Way I See It, which she wrote at eighteen, and which detailed her battles with cancer and the loss of her sight. We loved the warts-and-all picture of her life that she gave us then, and so we were really pleased to see that she's written a second book. Full review...
The Great Race: The Amazing Round-The-World Auto Race Of 1908 by Gary Blackwood
In 1908, Henry Ford's Model T hadn't yet brought cars to the masses. The pioneers of the world of automobiles were experimenting and discovering just what the car could do, by driving right round the world. Except they didn't want to be pioneers. One of the competitors, Antonio Scarfoglio, put it so perfectly when he said We had set out to perpetuate an act of splendid folly, not to open up a new way for men. We wished to be madmen, not pioneers. Isn't that about the best quote you've ever read? Full review...
Gaia Warriors by Nicola Davies
The best way to read this book is to treat it like a magazine: flip the pages and dip in. I can guarantee that you will find something to catch your eye. Fashion addicts could start on page 136 Dressing for the climate, foodies may prefer page 124 Rock-star food. The array of different typefaces and page colours make the book very easy to browse, and the author excels at explaining difficult concepts in a straightforward way. So certain sections in it could be considered not just as for older children or teen readers, but as an informative read for adults as well. Full review...
Mysterious Messages - A History of Codes and Ciphers by Gary Blackwood
There's something utterly cool about codes and ciphers. It's not just the spies with their secret world, it's the mystery of an ostensibly random set of letters or pictures. It's being able to unravel them and see what they're hiding. It's a combination of geeky riddle solving (and geeks are cool, so there) and uncovering the unknown meanings. Gary Blackwood treats us to a history of codes and ciphers, looking at their creation, the stories behind them, and how to crack them. Full review...
Cars - A Pop-Up Book Of Automobiles by Robert Crowther
Robert Crowther tells the story of the car, from Cugnot's steam engine, Trevithick's road locomotive and Benz's Motorwagen, right through to the record-breaking Thrust SSC and to future cars, like the biodegradable Eco One. There are plenty of pop-ups and pull tabs to bring it all to life, and it's packed with detail. Full review...
Hello Kitty Guide to Life by Various
Hello Kitty is a huge worldwide phenomenon with a whole heap of related merchandise featuring the cute cartoon cat in dresses and ribbons. It appeals to girls and women of many ages, but this new hardback book Hello Kitty – Guide to Life is aimed at the brand's younger fans, probably around 6 to 14 year olds. Full review...
Cromwell Dixon's Sky-Cycle by John Abbott Nez
Meet Cromwell Dixon. He's a real tinkerer, forever in a barn or somewhere building something manically unusual. Luckily - although his long-suffering mother may disagree with that word - he's around at the birth of powered flight. Will his plans for a pedalled air machine work? Full review...
Deadly Peril and How To Avoid It by Tracey Turner
Have you ever wondered what to do if you're bitten by blue-ringed octopus, or if you find yourself up to your neck in quicksand? It's a dangerous world out there and Tracey Turner has all the information that young explorers, daredevils and fact-hounds need to know. Full review...
Philip Ardagh's Book of Howlers, Blunders and Random Mistakery by Philip Ardagh
There's nought so queer as folk. From the idiot who broke into a car without realising his name and date of birth were clearly seen on his tattoo on CCTV, to the people who ordered someone to paint clothes on all the people in the Sistine Chapel - before others came along who decided the original had been better, and the people who dismissed The Beatles as never likely to make a name for themselves. We have long been a race of idiots. Full review...
The Comic Strip History of Space by Sally Kindberg and Tracey Turner
Sally Kindberg and Tracey Turner treated us to a Comic Strip History of the World, and have now turned their attention to space. They explain to children everything from the origins of the universe, to what ancient civilisations thought of the stars, through astronomers discovering the truth about planets, right up to current space missions. Full review...
Bad Kids: the Worst-Behaved Children in History by Tony Robinson
I'm starting to wonder about the type of person who would write such a horrible and terrifying book for children; it's as confusing as trying to work out an age category for this book. Bad Kids is a gruesome look through history using the ways children were punished through the ages as a central core. It runs right through history from ancient Iraq, where you could get your fingers chopped off for hitting your parents (they only recently abolished that one) to the modern day and the use of ASBOs. Full review...
Ripley's Believe It or Not 2010 by Robert Leroy Ripley
If you're looking for a book which is going to keep a child (or some adults!) happy for hours on end then look no further. So long as you don't mind the groans of (mock) disgust, screams of horror and constantly being asked to look at (another) picture or listen as more is read to you then you should be absolutely fine. Following hot on the heels of last year's success Ripley's Believe It or Not 2010 is packed full of bizarre facts (some of which you might appreciate knowing – others you will definitely wish you didn't), fiends and freaks. Full review...
The Bumper Book of Bravery by Charlie Norton
The Bumper Book of Bravery looks at bravery in all its forms - from people in wars, to explorers enduring amazing hardships, through spies and revolutionaries, by way of sportsmen and women, even to brave animals. Full review...
Dinosaurs (Henry's House) by Philip Ardagh and Mike Gordon
Henry's House is extraordinary: it's full of fossils, footprints, and even real dinosaurs. Jaggers the caretaker and Mr Boffin show him around, explaining all about dinosaurs, as Henry sees for himself just what amazing creatures they were, and learns the differences between the various types. Full review...
The Dangerous Book of Heroes by Conn Iggulden and David Iggulden
For most of us (well, for me certainly) the word 'hero' summons an image of capes, spandex and garish primary colours. Conn and David Iggulden have written a book about the other kind – the every day heroes from history, who achieve incredible things without the aid of superpowers.
From household names like Horatio Nelson and Winston Churchill, to lesser known people, like Aphra Behn and Hereward the Wake, The Dangerous Book of Heroes covers a comprehensive range of characters from the history of the British Empire. From campaigners for political change, brilliant battle strategists to daring explorers, each and every one of the people in this book lived brilliant lives and changed the world forever. Full review...
Ripping Things to Do by Jane Brocket
Right from the very moment I opened the envelope this book was delivered in, I had the distinct feeling this would be a real gem of a book, and how right I was. Though, initially, I was reminded of the Iggulden brothers' Dangerous Book for Boys series, this book has a very different ethos, even though the subject matter overlaps somewhat unavoidably making it bear comparison. Full review...
Peas! by Andy Cullen and Simon Rickerty
The farmer sows the seed from which Penelope and Pete Pea grow. They're picked, packed, delivered, bought, cooked and eaten, and we follow them on every step of their journey. Full review...
What's Eating You? by Nicola Davies and Neal Layton
Did you know that there are more than 430 types of parasites that can live on humans? Are you scratching? Good! Now you know what it was like for me reading What's Eating You? It's a fantastically detailed introduction to parasites - on humans and other animals - that any science-loving child will love. Full review...
The Smash! Smash! Truck by Aidan Potts
The Smash! Smash! Truck looks at the process of recycling glass, taking in a brief look at the Big Bang, atoms and the water cycle, to explain why recycling is a good idea. Full review...
Will Jellyfish Rule the World? by Leo Hickman
Have you ever wondered why it rains so much in Britain? What a glacier and a canary have in common? Or how lizards once managed to sunbathe in Antarctica? Green expert Leo Hickman is here to answer all these questions and more in his new book, Will Jellyfish Rule the World? Full review...
The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir by Cylin Busby and John Busby
When my dad dies, his body will go to the Harvard Medical School at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, though I suspect they are mostly interested in his head... His was in an interesting case - the lower half of his jaw was removed when he was shot in the head with a shotgun. His tongue was torn in half, his teeth and gums blown away, leaving a bit of bone that was once his chin connected with dangling flesh at the front of his face. Full review...
Can I Come Home, Please? by Phil Robins
Using the sound archives of the Imperial War Museum and other primary sources, this affecting volume gives an overview of the progress of Nazism as seen through the eyes of children in different parts of Europe. The simplicity of the language used in the transcribed interviews means it is accessible to children from Y6, yet remains useful to GCSE students as a succinct, linear timeline of WW2. Full review...
Who Am I?: The Family Tree Explorer by Anthony Adolph
A fascination with family history seems more than just a passing fad: for many it's a hobby approaching an obsession and in a mobile (both geographically and socially) and globalised society, people unable to answer a 'where we are all going' question find security and identity in pursuing an answer to 'where do I come from?' Full review...
Bob's Great Green Book (Bob the Builder) by Various
Bob the Builder and his crew of machines live in the glorious Sunflower Valley and enjoy their work. However, as well as building new developments, they like to look after the world around them. Their motto is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and they apply this to everything that they do. This book aims to introduce the youngest of children to the benefits of recycling, how to recycle and look after the world around them using characters that are familiar and in a way that teaches, not preaches. Full review...
Weighing It Up by Ali Valenzuela
Although never having had an eating disorder myself, I have been interested in them since I was young. I was a competitive gymnast and that is a world where eating disorders do creep in. Now I'm a mother of three teenage daughters, I worry about the subject from a whole new angle, especially as one of them is a size 6-8 and idolises those super-skinny celebrities. Full review...
Planet In Peril by Anita Ganeri and Mike Phillips
Saving the Earth is the latest bandwagon upon which authors seem determined to jump with children's authors at the forefront of the charge. I've seen quite a few which were little more than a watered-down version of the sort of information which would be given to an adult and I can imagine that a lot of children would feel patronised. This Horrible Geography Handbook – Planet in Peril is a breath of fresh air. Well, apart, that is, from when the loo gets a little too well used. Full review...
The Blackest Hole in Space by Penny Little and Vincent Vigla
Charlie and his dad build a rocket, then Charlie and Doggo head off into space, where they're sucked into a black hole. They have a bit of a look around (as one does in a black hole, apparently), then head off home for their tea. Full review...
Moon: Science, History, and Mystery by Stewart Ross
By now we should be living in colonies on Mars and still using computers that take up a whole room: futurologists have a talent for getting things spectacularly wrong, but their predictions express the human ability to dream and transcend its limitations and conditions: we dream of reaching for the stars – and humans actually walked on the Moon. It's hard to believe that first landing happened forty years ago! Full review...
