Difference between revisions of "Newest Children's Non-Fiction Reviews"
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| + | |author=Ian Winton and Fred Pearce | ||
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| + | |summary=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. | ||
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Revision as of 22:00, 3 September 2010
Children's non-fiction
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...
10 Things I Can Do To Help My World by Melanie Walsh
It's never to early to start making a difference. Melanie Walsh's book introduces young children to simple things they can do to change the world, from switching lights off, to turning off the taps when brushing your teeth. What's more, the book is made from 100% recycled materials, making buying it an 11th thing you can do to help your world. Full review...
Dragonmazia by Rolf Heimann
Dragonmazia is packed to the rafters with detailed, engaging, varied and fascinating mazes. There's a strong dragon theme throughout, without ever getting samey: there are medieval dragons, Oriental dragons, and a few cuddly dragons too. Each page generally has one big maze, with a few smaller mazes or puzzles dotted around it. It doesn't have an overall narrative, but there's plenty of detail to pore over beyond the mazes themselves. Full review...
Teach Your Granny To Text by We Are What We Do
I loved this book. I loved the positive tone of this book. It is just so packed full of great, interactive ideas for living a better life, that I even passed it onto to my household's resident politician. He agreed that there were lots of ideas in it that capture the spirit of these new-austerity times, and took a note of a few for his next council meeting. It's true! Full review...
The Comic Strip History of the World by Sally Kindberg and Tracey Turner
The Comic Strip History of the World is, as you might expect, a comic strip history of the world. It covers everything from the Big Bang to the present day, with each period of history summed up in a page or two. It's very much a potted history in the vein of the Horrible Histories series and 1066 and All That. It's a fantastic book, both as a light fun read, and as a brief education into everything that has been before. Full review...
Spyology by Dugald Steer
Agent K – also known as Spencer Blake – set out to write this manual of Spyology, otherwise known as Tradecraft, in the course of his last mission, the deadly Operation CODEX. Obviously he saved the civilised world (again) but he apparently perished during the operation. No one was more surprised than the head of Special Intelligence Service (P.O. Box 850, London) when the manual which I now have in front of me turned up at the headquarters of MI6 in an unmarked envelope several months after Agent K disappeared. The original plan was to use it to train new recruits using various challenges based on Operation CODEX. It's recently become available to the public under the fifty year rule. Full review...
Voyage Across The Cosmos by Giles Sparrow
In the course of a year I see some wonderful books but this must rank as one of the most stunning that I've seen for a long time. Billed as a journey to the edge of space and time the reader is off on a journey of a hundred and thirty billion trillion kilometres from earth. On the way you'll see some breathtaking sights and get an idea of the unbelievable scale of the cosmos. Full review...
Abc 3d by Marion Bataille
Wow. This is an ABC book with a difference. The publisher's notes say it's "astoundingly beautiful" and it is. Marion Bataille's careful, ingenious alphabet pops up from the pages to amaze and entrance all who look. From A, a proud pyramid on the inside cover, to Z, standing on its side at the end, each letter of our alphabet has a personality of its own. E morphs into F, V mirrors itself and becomes W, and U is a cascade of parabolas. Full review...
Hocus Pocus by Paul Kieve
Hocus Pocus is part biography of the greatest magicians of all time, part fictional tale of the author meeting them as they come alive from his posters, and part magic instruction manual. All the parts foster an interest in magic, and act as an inspiration to the next generation of magicians. Full review...
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...
