Difference between revisions of "Newest Children's Non-Fiction Reviews"
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| + | |author=Terry Deary and Martin Brown | ||
| + | |title=Deadly Days in History (Horrible Histories) | ||
| + | |rating=5 | ||
| + | |genre=Confident Readers | ||
| + | |summary=Horrible Histories' catch phrase is History - with all the nasty bits left in. This is not completely true, Scholastic is not going to print a children's book with details which are too graphic for children, but this is without a doubt the nastiest and most gruesome of all of the Horrible Histories books we have read. While I am happy enough reading most of the Horrible Histories books to my 4 year old as well as my 8 year old, I do think this one is best for the older children, would recommend a minimum age of 7, and this only if the child is already aware of the Holocaust, or the parent is prepared to broach this subject in a sensitive manner and provide further information. | ||
| + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407121456</amazonuk> | ||
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|author=Paul Moran | |author=Paul Moran | ||
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|summary=Margaret Anne Brady had been at the orphanage for several years when one of the Sisters told her that she'd been asked to accompany a lady who was crossing the Atlantic. This was a dream come true for Margaret as he only relative - her brother William - lived in Boston and he'd been trying to save up her fare so that she could join him in the USA. Mrs Carstairs is wealthy and she and Margaret will be travelling First Class - on the maiden voyage of RMS ''Titanic''. All Margaret's dreams seemed to be coming true at once. | |summary=Margaret Anne Brady had been at the orphanage for several years when one of the Sisters told her that she'd been asked to accompany a lady who was crossing the Atlantic. This was a dream come true for Margaret as he only relative - her brother William - lived in Boston and he'd been trying to save up her fare so that she could join him in the USA. Mrs Carstairs is wealthy and she and Margaret will be travelling First Class - on the maiden voyage of RMS ''Titanic''. All Margaret's dreams seemed to be coming true at once. | ||
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407131419</amazonuk> | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407131419</amazonuk> | ||
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Revision as of 06:44, 2 May 2013
Children's non-fiction
Deadly Days in History (Horrible Histories) by Terry Deary and Martin Brown
Horrible Histories' catch phrase is History - with all the nasty bits left in. This is not completely true, Scholastic is not going to print a children's book with details which are too graphic for children, but this is without a doubt the nastiest and most gruesome of all of the Horrible Histories books we have read. While I am happy enough reading most of the Horrible Histories books to my 4 year old as well as my 8 year old, I do think this one is best for the older children, would recommend a minimum age of 7, and this only if the child is already aware of the Holocaust, or the parent is prepared to broach this subject in a sensitive manner and provide further information. Full review...
What If... Humans Were Like Animals? by Paul Moran
'What If Humans Were More Like Animals' takes various unusual animal attributes and imagines what it would be like if humans had an equivalent behaviour, ability, or physical feature. For instance, if we had teeth like a shark, we wouldn't have to worry about eating too many sweets, brushing our teeth, or even chomping down on a hard object. Whenever a tooth fell out, a new one would take its place. If we had the comparative strength of a Hercules beetle, we could lift a double decker bus, and if we could jump the equivalent of a froghopper insect, we'd be able to leap over sky scrapers with ease. Not all of the animal traits would be so much fun though. We wouldn't want our parents to eat us if we were not as strong as our siblings like the vole, and while eyes on our hands like a starfish might have a few advantages, it would be very awkward as well - who wants to pick things up with their eyes? Full review...
How Dinosaurs Really Work by Alan Snow
It’s sometimes difficult to find books which appeal to reluctant readers, particularly boys. Three cheers, then, for Alan Snow who has produced a really smashing book about those ever-popular dinosaurs. Here is a book which will appeal not only to bright kids during their inevitable dinosaur phase, and also to more struggling readers, a little later on. This is exactly the sort of book kids can pore over for several weeks on end in order to become something of an authority on prehistoric animals in front of their mates. Full review...
Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders - World War II by Tony Robinson
Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders is an informative, easy to read book for children covering WW2. I would describe it as something of a cross between a school text book and Terry Deary's Horrible Histories series - as much as I am certain Mr Deary would shudder at the thought of any of his books being crossed with a text book. This isn't quite facts, facts and nothing but the facts, it does break things up with humour, but I would describe this as book meant to teach history, unlike Deary's books which I would describe as books which make reading fun, and just happen to inform children on history as well. Full review...
The Beastly Best Bits (Horrible Histories) by Terry Deary
Horrible Histories: The Beastly Best Bits begins with a brief introduction by a black clad executioner who looks like he has stepped of the pages of the Horrible Histories Terrifying Tudors book. Our friendly executioner will be our guide for the rest of the book, pointing out some of the most gruesome moments in history. After some classic gallows humour and a brief mention of Vlad the Impaler we begin the tour with ancient Mesopotamia. The book includes the Assyrians, Sumerians, Persians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Celts, Vikings, Normans, Samurai Aztecs, Incas, Irish and Americans. It also covers several different periods of English history, gangsters in The Roaring 20's, the first and second world wars, and a quick section on Ruthless Rulers. Full review...
Terrifying Tudors (Horrible Histories) by Terry Deary
I've always thought Terry Deary was years ahead of his time. He was writing books that boys really wanted to read many years before the current emphasis on boy friendly reading material and all the efforts to close the ever widening gender gap in reading. Horrible Histories have always been brilliant to motivate boys to read, but the older copies do show their age. Progress has been made in the way books are printed to make them more accessible to struggling readers over the last 20 years. Horrible Histories new editions celebrating 20 Horrible Years has addressed this issue and makes the books not only the type of books that boys want to read, but also the type of book that younger children or those with reading difficulties can read. Full review...
Awful Egyptians (Horrible Histories) by Terry Deary
Facts, facts and nothing but the facts - if this is your idea of a history book - stop right here. Terry Deary's Horrible Histories do contain facts, in a well laid out easy to follow manner. But Terry Deary did not intend to write the Horrible History as history books, but rather as joke books. They may have ended up with far more history than he originally intended, but they remain a collection of amusing stories and jokes, rather than a collection of dry facts. Deary never intended his books to be used to teach history - in fact the mere mention of this really sets him off. He set out to write books that children wanted to read, books that are both engaging and entertaining, and whether he intended it as such or not - he has created a series which truly engages boys long before this concept became popular. Very few children pick up a book because they want to learn about history. Children pick up Deary's books because he speaks directly to them, not in the language of authority and the adult world, but in a as co-conspirator. They read his books because they are fun, but because he makes history both entertaining and relevant to them, they actually do learn this as well. What's more, they remember it unlike the facts they might memorise for a history quiz. Full review...
Measly Middle Ages (Horrible Histories) by Terry Deary
The Horrible Histories series is a favourite with both schools and Home Educators, but Terry Deary never intended his books to be used in education. He originally set out to write a joke book, based on a historical subject, but freed from the constraints of school - he discovered what so many of us have also found - history really is fun. Instead of a joke book with a bit of history, Deary ended up with a history book - with quite a lot of jokes. But these books were never intended as educational texts, they were written to entertain, and his Horrible Histories - Measly Middle Ages does just that, it entertains both children and adults. It is difficult to read any of Deary's books without learning something, but learning is incidental - the fun comes first. Full review...
Maximus Musicus Visits the Orchestra by Hallfridur Olafsdottir and Porarinn Mar Baldursson
One day Maxi wanders into a rehearsal of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, where he is entranced to hear Ravel’s Bolero. He encounters most of the orchestral instruments and there’s a lot of whimsical humour as Maxi moves from instrument to instrument. Eventually he falls asleep on the stage, tired out by the excitement of his adventures. He wakes to a loud booming noise as the beginning of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is played, and he finds that the orchestra is in concert. He scuttles down into a packed auditorium. At the end of the concert, Maximus joins in the standing ovation which precedes the stirring home-grown encore. Full review...
The Truth About Love by Philip Ardagh
We are never too far from springtime, when, of course, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. Beardy Ardagh is hoping that young people's fancies turn to trivia about love customs, predictions of who they'll marry and what the whole symbolism around love, Valentines and marriage mean. The emphasis is on young – this book is definitely suited for the primary school library, although he slips up once when asking if we think our partners smell nice. Full review...
Alphasaurs and Other Prehistoric Types by Sharon Werner and Sarah Nelson Forss
I suppose you could describe any book about dinosaurs as being sixty-five million years in the making. What is definite is that this title was certainly not knocked up overnight. After a suitably clever, rhyming introduction, we enter the world of prehistory with A, and exit with Z, having met 27 (yes, there's a surprise guest entrant) animals along the way. And the way we meet them on these supremely clever pages is the selling point. Full review...
Wild Town (RSPB) by Mike Dilger
Would you like to know what about the thriving wildlife in Britain's towns and cities? What natural riches are out there, if only you know where (and how) to look? Wild Town will tell you. Divided into habitats - desert, grasslands, wetlands, forests, scrub, caves - the book describes animals, and some plants, to be found in each. You'll be amazed at what's out there. And you'll find out a lot about a teeming natural world right on your doorstep. It will tell you the best places to spot animals and plants - and, thanks to the wonderful photography, you'll have no trouble recognising them once you're there. From the iconic foxes and badgers to the less well known species of bird, amphibian and insect, it's all there in all its diversity and beauty. Full review...
Discover the Awesome World by Camilla de la Bedoyere, John Farndon, Ian Graham, Richard Platt and Philip Steele
Back in 2011 I was impressed by Discover the Extreme World by Camilla de la Bedoyere, Clive Gifford, John Farndon, Steve Parker, Stewart Ross and Philip Steele. I said that In my day it would have been called an encyclopaedia. It would have had a lot more text, been rather dull – and remained largely unread by those who received it as a worthy present, but with that book you needed to start at the opposite end of the scale. It's about visual impact. A fact is linked to a picture and the more striking the better – and only then is it explained. The text is as simple as possible – clear, unambiguous wording which drives the point home as quickly as possible. The layout encourages you to move the book so that you see the pictures better and can read the words. It's fun and (say it quietly) it's educational. Now I'm not in the habit of recycling reviews (honest!) but sometimes you know that you can't say it any better as exactly the same comments apply to Discover the Awesome World. Full review...
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy: Cool Ways to Remember Stuff by Steve Martin
When I look back on my school days it didn't seem terribly complicated, but when I see what my grandchildren are coping with I'm amazed at all that they have to remember. They need to have methods of jogging their memories. 'Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy' gives them lots of ways of remembering a rich variety of facts, but also shows them how they can develop their own ways of helping their memory. It's a book about mnemonics such as rhymes, acrostics, stories, grouping, linking, pictures, acronyms and wordplay. It's not just the methods of remembering that are there - there are all sorts of facts in with the methods. Full review...
Craft-A-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects by Sarah Goldschadt
Looking back on my childhood the most useful skill I acquired was that of making things. I was the daughter of a man who made a greenhouse out of a derelict bus, so it was inevitable that something would rub off on me. Well over half a century later it still stands me in good stead: I can see how to make things, how to solve problems and my imagination was fired up at an early stage. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a bus-to-greenhouse converter in-house, but the best start is being encouraged to make things regularly and learning that you don't always have to buy everything you need. A drum roll, please for Sarah Goldschadt's Craft-A-Day. Full review...
Ripley's Believe It or Not 2013 by Robert Leroy Ripley
You know it's getting near Christmas when you spot the annual Ripley's Believe It or Not, the celebration of all that's macabre, shocking, gruesome and frequently downright revolting - and that's just the people. Just wait until you get to the non-human items. We don't usually cover annuals at Bookbag because they've frequently gone out of fashion before too many months have passed, but these books can be read year after year and they're still going to make the average adult feel rather unwell. Yes - you're right. Kids are going to love it. Full review...
How to be Gorgeous: Smart Ways to Look and Feel Fabulous by Fiona Foden
The first point that author Fiona Foden stresses is that this is a book about how to be gorgeous, but she goes on to explain that this isn't just about having glossy hair, great skin and a wonderful dress (although she does admit that these help). It's about looking amazing, but still being you. It's about having confidence in who you are and having a positive energy about you. It's about having great friends - and being a great friend, in fact being the sort of person that everyone wants to know. She promises that most of what she suggests is not going to break the Bank - somethings are virtually, if not totally, free and it's all easy. So how does it live up to the promises? Full review...
ABC Dentist: Healthy Teeth from A to Z by Harriet Ziefert and Liz Murphy
I hope that children are not as fearful of going to the dentist as used regularly to be the case, but even those who are unworried will benefit from this useful book directed mainly at the five to ten age group, although I'm sure that older children will find it of interest too. The ABC format might suggest a younger age range, but don't be fooled! Full review...
Fantastic Mr Dahl by Michael Rosen
Reading this book is rather like curling up in a deep, squishy armchair with a cup of cocoa and some squashed-fly biscuits while a favourite uncle chats to you about books. He tells you interesting things about Roald Dahl's life, and then he discusses how those events may have affected his writing, secure in the knowledge that you already know and love the stories. Just as important, he pauses in his chat from time to time to ask your opinion — and it's clear he's really interested in your answer. Do you prefer the original version of James and the Giant Peach, or the one which was eventually published? Can you imagine how funny it would be to see your grandfather looking in through your bedroom window, like the BFG? Full review...
The Comic Strip Book of Dinosaurs by Sally Kindberg and Tracey Turner
If I asked you all to put your hands up if you had a dinosaur book as a youth I'd feel the draught from here. My grander examples certainly stayed on my shelves for years and survived several readings, and I'm sure that's not unique - plus, over the intervening years science has learnt a lot of extra facts, to make the books more accurate. Here then, for the 5-9s, is a primer of prehistory, and one such as the young me never had. Full review...
Hello Kitty Dictionary by Various
The Hello Kitty Dictionary takes a concept that many young students might not find too interesting (me, on the other hand, I love books full of words) and puts a colourful and fun spin on it. Because if you’re having to look up how to spell a word, or what something means, it helps to have pages with lemon and violet and aquamarine borders, dotted with presents and hearts and stars. That’s not to say the dictionary isn’t clear and easy to read because it certainly is: the decorations don’t extend into the centre of the pages, and the entries themselves are bold fuchsia followed by neat black explanations, all neatly formatted on crisp white pages. Full review...
A Horrid Factbook: Food by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
For a horrid child our Henry has acquired a lot of facts, you know and the latest of his Horrid Fact Books is about food. It follows the usual format of quick-fire facts liberally accompanied by brilliant illustrations from Tony Ross. The book's divided into chapters which are just the right length to appeal to the emerging reader and to give a regular feel-good buzz when there's another chapter under the belt. With ninety-nine pages of text there's enough to give the sense of having read a book but without it being too much of a trial. It ticks all the boxes as an early reader. Full review...
Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders: Romans by Tony Robinson
You could be mistaken for thinking Tony Robinson had written books like this before, for he was doing 'Horrid History'-style TV programmes before the official ones were made. This series fits so well into his erudite yet family audience-friendly manner, and this second book takes us in a primary school curriculum-suiting way into the world of Rome. A lot is in these books, from trivia for all ages (I didn't know, or had forgotten, that all those Julius Caesar reliefs and statues are of him in a wig as he was bald), to the delectable gross-out (the posh man's cuisine) to the foregrounding of the obvious difference between them and us (in a word, slavery). Full review...
Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders: Egyptians by Tony Robinson
You could be mistaken for thinking Tony Robinson had written books like this before, for he was doing 'Horrid History'-style TV programmes before the official ones were made. This series fits so well into his erudite yet family audience-friendly manner, and this launching book takes us to the strangest of worlds - yet one only a museum visit away, that of the ancient Egyptians. A lot is in these pages - complete with adult stuff glossed over (just how in-bred were those Ptolemys?!), the gross-out being relished (making mummies, and some alleged Egyptian medicines) and the obvious differences between them and us foregrounded so we can empathise with them (and at the same time remember it's harder for most of us to sleep on our roofs than they would have found it). Full review...
Make and Do: Bake by Kathleen King
I love the idea of kids cooking. There's going to be mess, probably a bit of waste and you're going to have to bite your tongue an awful lot, but it really is the most amazing fun. Best of all, though - from an early age kids learn that they can go into the kitchen and make something which they can eat. They don't need to go to the shops and buy a ready meal or to a takeaway for junk food. They can make something themselves. It's a life skill. Full review...
Basher Science: Oceans by Dan Green and Simon Basher
I've often wondered why this planet is called 'earth' when three-quarters of it obviously isn't and it seems that I'm not alone. Dan Green and Simon Basher have decided to take a close look at the oceans and other bodies of water on the planet and to explain them in simple words, accompanied by Simon Brasher's illustrations which are almost - but not quite - manga. It's a style which kids are going to be comfortable with - and they're not going to associate it with something boring which they have to learn. It's fun. Full review...
The Queen by Richard Brassey
Those of us who've been around for longer than the Queen has been on the throne tend to forget that not everyone knows about her history or who-is-who in the family. Richard Brassey has set out to remedy that with this easy-read, almost comic-style book about Her Majesty and there's lots in there in the way of fascinating information, some fun facts and (I'll confess!) a few anecdotes which left me chuckling, sometimes with and sometimes... er, well, I think we'll gloss over that bit, but let me say that this book is not at all sycophantic! Full review...
Titanic: An Edwardian Girl's Diary 1912 by Ellen Emerson White
Margaret Anne Brady had been at the orphanage for several years when one of the Sisters told her that she'd been asked to accompany a lady who was crossing the Atlantic. This was a dream come true for Margaret as he only relative - her brother William - lived in Boston and he'd been trying to save up her fare so that she could join him in the USA. Mrs Carstairs is wealthy and she and Margaret will be travelling First Class - on the maiden voyage of RMS Titanic. All Margaret's dreams seemed to be coming true at once. Full review...
