Difference between revisions of "Newest Children's Non-Fiction Reviews"

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{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Quentin Blake
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|isbn=1839948493
|title=Tell me a Picture - Adventures in Looking at Art
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|title=A World of Dogs
|rating=4.5
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|author=Carlie Sorosiak and Luisa Uribe
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|summary=When did you last read a children's book that absolutely flummoxed you in the way it showed or told you something you didn't know?  (And please be an adult when you answer that, or else it won't be quite so impressive.)  Back in 2001, Quentin Blake wasn't a Knight yet – he hadn't even got his CBE – but he did get allowed to put on his own show at the National Gallery, with other people's pictures that contain oddities, stories, unexpected detail – sparks on canvas and paper that would inspire anyone looking, of whatever age, to piece things together, work things out, ''form a narrative''.  The pictures came with no major labelling, no context – just what they held, and some typically scratched Blake characters discussing the images as a lead-in.  They were simply hung in alphabetical order, and probably could not have been more different.  This then is a picture book of the most literal kind, with 26 stories.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847806422</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Michelle Magorian
 
|title=Impossible!
 
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Confident Readers
 
|summary=Josie is twelve, and would much rather be a boy. She attends a stage school and we first meet her being criticised by her Headmistress for having had her hair cut short, in the hope of playing a boy’s part in a show.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>190999104X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Richard Scarry
 
|title=Paul Smith for Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
 
|rating=4
 
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=The pig family are heading out for a picnic and – goodness – they are going to have some ride! This is the loose story line that functions as a vehicle (pun intended) to introduce a mind boggling array of ‘things that go’. In and around Ma and Pa Pig’s house there are no less than seven motors. That’s a quiet page in Richard Scarry’s ''Cars and Trucks and Things That Go''. Prepare to be dazzled along the journey by more vehicles than you ever thought existed all illustrated and labelled. This is an American book so some of the cars, trucks and fire engines may look a little unfamiliar. However, I’m pretty sure though that I never saw a shark car, wolf wagon or pickle truck on either the M5 or the I5.
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|summary=In the interests of full disclosure, I must tell you that I'm a sucker for dogs. In nearly eight decades, I've never met one I didn't trust and I've loved most of them.  I wish I felt the same about human beings.  So, any book about dogs, I'm going to sit down and devour. Then I'm going to go back and read it properly. And so it was with ''A World of Dogs'', with ninety-six pages devoted entirely to my four-legged friends. Author Carlie Sorosiak found herself the accidental owner of an American Dingo - she's learned quite a lot about dogs since then.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007581068</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1529507987
|author=Dylan Thomas and Peter Bailey
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|title=The Repair Shop Craft Book
|title=A Child’s Christmas in Wales
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|author=Walker Books and Sonia Albert (Illustrator)
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=Christmas time growing up in a Welsh seaside town was magical for Dylan Thomas, always snowy and full of adventure. From attempting to extinguish house fires with snowballs to hippo footprints in the snow his childhood in the snow was a time of wonder and pure joy.
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|summary=I love ''The Repair Shop''.  It's my go-to programme when I want to be cheered up.  After a hard day, there's nothing better than watching experts repair treasured items without ever mentioning what they're worth.  You see, the value is in what these possessions are worth to the people who own them and the memories they hold. No expense appears to be spared and the experts spend as much time and effort as is required to achieve the desired result.  Regular viewers know the experts and they're all brilliant at explaining what it is they're doing. But how did they start?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444013467</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=024162343X
|author=Walter Dean Myers
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|title=Stolen History
|title=An African Princess: From African Orphan to Queen Victoria’s Favourite
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|author=Sathnam Sanghera
|rating=3.5
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|rating=5
|genre=Historical Fiction
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|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=This elegant edition of An African Princess tells of the life of Sarah Bonetta who is suddenly swept from the threat of a savage execution in 1848 only to face a brave new world under the patronage of the imperious Queen Victoria. Meticulously researched by the twice elected US National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Walter Dean Myers, it is a creatively imaginative account, with an historical backbone of genuine diary entries, letters, autobiographical work, contemporary newspapers, social and anthropological studies and period photographs.
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|summary=I was the bad company other people got into at school.  I was disruptive in religious education classes because I disputed the existence of a 'god'. Where was the proof?  In history lessons, it was probably worse still.  Not too long after the end of WWII, I didn't so much want to learn about the British army's successes (and occasional failures, but we didn't dwell on those) in what came to be called 'the colonies' as want to dispute what right the army had to be there in the first place.  Looking back, I still believe I was right - but I regret that I lacked the maturity to approach 'the problem' politely.  I wish I'd had Sathnam Sanghera's ''Stolen History''.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406354449</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Jeremy Dronfield and David Ziggy Greene
|author=Trudi Esberger
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|title=Fritz and Kurt
|title=The Boy Who Lost His Bumble
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|rating=4
|rating=4.5
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|genre=Confident Readers
|genre=For Sharing
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|summary=We start with the pair of brothers Fritz and Kurt, and their muckers, doing things any Jewish lad in 1930s Vienna would want to do – kicking things around the empty market place, helping the neighbours, being dutiful when it comes to the synagogue choir and at a vocational school.  Kurt has to make sure the lamps are turned on at their very Orthodox neighbours' each Friday night – the Sabbath preventing them for using anything nearly as mechanical and workmanlike as a light switch. But this is the time just before the Austrian leader is going to cave to Hitler's will, and instead of having a national vote to keep the Nazis out, invite them in with open arms.  ''Kristallnacht'' happened in Vienna just as much as in Germany, as did all the round-ups of Jews. These in their turn leave the younger Kurt at home with his mother and sisters anxious to hear word of an evacuation to Britain or the US, while Fritz and his father are, unknown initially to each other, packed off on the same train to Buchenwald and the stone quarry there. And us wondering how the titular event for the adult variant of all this could come about…
|summary=A little boy loves his garden and he particularly loves the bees that visit it each day. He is so fascinated by his buzzy friends that he gives them each names and records their habits and characteristics. Then the weather changes, it grows cold and his bees disappear. Where can they be? Will they come back? The boy is puzzled and saddened by their departure and tries hard to encourage his missing friends to return.
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|isbn=024156574X
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846436613</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
 
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|isbn=1913750353
{{newreview
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|title=Britannica's Word of the Day
|author=Steve Backshall
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|author=Patrick Kelly, Renee Kelly and Sue Macy
|title=Deadly Pole to Pole Diaries
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|rating=5
|rating=4.5
 
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=Dear Diary, today I really woke up on the wrong side of the bed. For most people that means waking up in a grumpy mood, but for me it literally means the wrong side of the bed.  I stepped straight into a pool full of viscous fish and then I climbed out, only to be chased by a bear.  I am either eating too much cheese before I go to bed or partaking on a magnificent journey from Pole to Pole visiting dangerous animals on the way.
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|summary=''Britannica's Word of the Day'' has a sub-title: ''366 Elevating Utterances to Stretch Your Cranium and Tickle Your Humerus'' which probably tells you all that you need to know about this brilliant book.   It starts on January 1st with ''Razzmatazz'', tells you how to pronounce it (''raz-muh-TAZ''), gives you a definition and then includes the word in a sentence so that you know how it should be used.  You also get an engaging and frequently amusing illustration too.  I don't think I've ever encountered a word which uses the letter Z four times before!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444013769</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0711266204
|title=Excavate! Dinosaurs: Paper Toy Paleontology
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|title=The Secret Life of Birds
|author=Jonathan Tennant, Vladamir Nikolov and Charlie Simpson
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|author=Moira Butterfield and Vivian Mineker (illustrator)
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=I believe that it is now an established worldwide fact that dinosaurs are awesome.  I have checked the latest edition of Nature and it would appear that this is definitely the caseDinosaurs are without doubt the coolest creatures to have roamed the EarthDo you know what makes them really great?  The fact that that left fabulous fossils and brilliant bones behind.  Any kid would love the chance to dig up some old bones and build their own dinosaur.
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|summary=I have recently discovered a great pleasure: I sit and watch the vast numbers of birds which visit our garden on a daily basisAn hour can pass without my noticingI've established which species feed from the ground, which pop to the feeders for a quick snatch of some food and who settles in for a good munch but I wish I was more knowledgeableIt would have been wonderful if, as a child, I'd had access to a book such as ''The Secret Life of Birds''. So – what is it?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1612125204</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Rattle and Rap
 
|author=Susan Steggall
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|summary=Apparently, back in the days of steam, every little boy used to dream of being an engine driver. The trains in ''Rattle and Rap'' are all diesel but the allure of travel still wafts strongly from the pages. This is one in a series of vehicle-themed books aimed at pre-schoolersIt’s unusual to find engaging non-fiction for the under fives. With the focus on vehicles, Susan Stegall takes a staple of many a children’s book but, unlike some other authors, she treats the subject with imagination and creativity. It’s enough to make an anthropomorphised tank engine blush.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847805833</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0192779230
|title=Inventions in 30 Seconds
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|title=Very Short Introductions for Curious Young Minds: The Invisible World of Germs
|author=Dr Mike Goldsmith
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|author=Isabel Thomas
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Popular Science
 
|summary=My son is incredibly curious and is constantly bombarding me with questions about how things work or how things are made. It seems that the minute I have found the answer to one of his questions, another has formulated inside his head to replace it. I was delighted then, when ''Inventions in 30 Seconds'' arrived for me to review, as I saw it as a dose of much-needed respite from my endless research.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782401482</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Our Amazing Planet
 
|author=Jon Richards and Ed Simkins
 
|rating=4.5
 
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=As reference books go, this is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. Covering topics such as space, planet earth, the animal kingdom and the human body, this colourful book is a powerful tool for homework help from juniors through to early senior school, beautifully presented and easy to draw information from.
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|summary='Germs' seems to have become a catch-all word to cover anything unpleasant which has the potential to make you ill.  In the first book in what looks to be a very promising new series, OUP and Isabel Thomas have provided a clear and accessible introduction to the world of germs.  We get an informed look at how people originally thought about diseases and what they thought caused them and how the thinking has developed over time. The vocabulary can be confusing but Thomas gives a regular box headed 'speak like a scientist' which explains some of the trickiest concepts and you'll soon be familiar with bacteria, fungi, protists and viruses – and how we should protect ourselves.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0750281219</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1800464495
|title=Dead or Alive?
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|title= 100 Ways in 100 Days to Teach Your Baby Maths: Support All Areas of Your Baby’s Development by Nurturing a Love of Maths
|author=Clive Gifford and Sarah Horne
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|author=Emma Smith
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=Animals do the most amazing things, but dying is not one of them. In fact, animals dislike dying so much that over the millennia they have evolved many ingenious ways of not being dead – or as scientists like to call this not dead state; alive. What better way to avoid death than to act dead or smell so bad that no one would possibly want to eat you?
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|summary=''Babies seem to be born with an amazing number sense: understanding shapes in the womb, being aware of quantities at seven hours old, assessing probability at six months old, and comprehending addition and subtraction at nine months old.''
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405268581</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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Did you know this? I didn't! How about:
|title=Atlas of Adventures
 
|author=Lucy Letherland
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|summary=''The world is full of adventures''.
 
  
With this inviting opening line, the ''Atlas of Adventures'' encourages young readers to travel the world from the comfort of their own sofa. Bold, bright illustrations show defining landmarks and celebrations from all around the world and each double-page spread is filled with bite-sized facts incorporated into the artwork.
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''Maths ability on entry to school is a strong predictor of later achievement, double that of literacy skills.''
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184780585X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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I didn't know this either! I think most parents are aware that giving your children a good start in literacy - reading stories, teaching pen grips, singing rhymes - gives children a solid foundation when they start school. But do we think the same way about maths, beyond counting? I don't think we do, in part because so many of us are afraid of maths. But why are we? Most of us use maths in daily life without realising and it follows that giving our children a similar pre-school grounding will be just as beneficial.
|title=Two Player Big Fun Book
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}} 
|author=Lydia Crook
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1406395404
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|title=The Awesome Power of Sleep: How Sleep Super-Charges Your Teenage Brain
 +
|author=Nicola Morgan
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 +
|genre=Teens
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|summary=2020 has been a strange year: I doubt anyone would argue with that statement.  Lots of our routines have been completely dismantled and for some teenagers this will have brought about sleep problems.  Some teens will dismiss this as irrelevant ('who needs sleep? - I've got loads to be doing) and others will worry unnecessarily.  Most people, from children to adults will have the odd bad night but worrying about your lack of sleep is only likely to make it worse.  And there's also the fact that for far too long, lack of sleep has been lauded as a virtue and sleep made to seem like laziness.  Being up early, working late has been praised and the ability to survive on little sleep has almost become something to put on your CV.
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1849767343
 +
|title=Count on Me
 +
|author=Miguel Tanco
 +
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=My house is full of technology designed to inspire and entertain: computers, iPads, games consoles, mobile devices...yet despite this, the kids seem to constantly complain that they are bored. Maybe the problem is that we are so used to ''being entertained'', that perhaps we have forgotten how to entertain ourselves. Lydia Crook, paper engineer, aims to change all of that by bringing out our creative and playful side in the excellent (and completely absorbing) ''Two Player Big Fun Book''.
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|summary=The title and format of this book might lead you to think that it's either about responsibility - or it's a basic 1-2-3 book for those just starting out on the numbers journey.  It isn't: it's a hymn of praise to maths. It's about why maths is so wonderful and how you meet it in everyday life.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782401423</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1849767009
|title=The Human Body in 30 Seconds
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|title=It Isn't Rude to be Nude
|author=Anna Claybourne
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|author=Rosie Haine
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Popular Science
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|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Our body is an amazing machine, capable of performing a myriad of tasks simultaneously. Even when we are sleeping, our body is busy processing information, pumping blood, regulating temperature and filtering waste. When we are hurt, a host of repair systems jump into operation to sort out the damage. When we are invaded by a foreign body, our immune system works to repel the invaders. We are constantly making new discoveries about the wonderful way that our body works.
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|summary=This could have been one of those books which 'preaches to the choir': the only people who'll buy it are the people who know that nudity is OK and the ones who ''know'' that it's shameful will avoid it like they avoid the hot-and-bothered person in the supermarket who is coughing fit to bust.  But... Rosie Haines makes it into something so much more than a book about not wearing clothes. It's a celebration of bodies: bodies large and small and of every possible hue.  Bodies with disabilities and markings.  They're fine. In fact, they're wonderful.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782401474</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1776572858
|title=Big Fat Christmas Book (Horrible Histories)
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|title=How Do You Make a Baby?
|author=Terry Deary and Martin Brown
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|author=Anna Fiske and Don Bartlett (translator)
|rating=3
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|rating=5
|genre=Confident Readers
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|genre=Home and Family
|summary=I was reading Terry Deary before he even started writing the ‘Horrible History’ franchiseIt seems that as I grew out of children’s non-fiction just as he exploded in popularity, selling millions of books in the series and even spawning a successful TV show (that I admit to watching)It has been years since the first Horrible History book, but they are still popular enough to produce an annual of sorts, but is this a case of annual horribilis?
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|summary=It's more than sixty years since I asked how babies were made.  My mother was deeply embarrassed and told me that she'd get me a book about itA couple of days later I was handed a pamphlet (which delivered nothing more than the basics, in clinical language which had never been used in our house before)  and I was told that it wouldn't be discussed any further as it ''wasn't something which nice people talked about''I ''knew'' more, but was little ''wiser''.  Thankfully, times have changed.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407147749</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1526362759
|title=The Paint Book
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|title=Dosh: How to Earn It, Save It, Spend It, Grow It, Give It
|author=Miri Flower
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|author=Rashmi Sirdeshpande
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Crafts
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|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=Craft blogger Miri Flower challenges bored children everywhere with her lovely new series of art books, which utilise basic materials that can be found in most homes. ''The Paint Book'' outlines seventy simple projects which encourage kids to get crafty and creative with paints. It's going to get messy, so house-proud parents turn away now...
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|summary=What a relief!  A book about money, for children, with clear explanations of what it is, why it matters, how to acquire more of it (nope - robbing banks is out) and what you can do with it when you've managed to get hold of it.  Your reasons for wanting money don't matter: we all need it to some extent.  You might want to go into business, be a clever shopper, a saver (you might even become an ''investor'') and there might be something you really, ''really'' want to buy. There's also the possibility of using to do good in the world.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>071123583X</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=178112938X
|title=The Pencil Book
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|title=Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 Mission
|author=Miri Flower
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|author=David Long and Stefano Tambellini (illustrator)
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Crafts
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|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
|summary=Summer is almost over. Gone are the carefree days playing outdoors in the sunshine with friends. Here come the rainy days and dark evenings, heralding the inevitable cry of: ''I'm bored!''. Author and craft-blogger Miri Flower (fantastic name!) comes to the rescue of harassed parents everywhere with her new series of art books which encourage children to utilise simple materials to create fun games and artwork. ''The Pencil Book'' sees the humble pencil takes centre stage, with seventy projects to keep kids engaged and amused.
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|summary=It's fifty years since the Apollo 13 mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, but the story of that journey remains one of the greatest survival stories of all time. ''Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 Mission'' is a brilliant retelling of what happened.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0711235848</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
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|author=Kathleen Boucher and Sara Chadwick
 +
|title=Nine Ways to Empower Tweens
 +
|rating=4.5
 +
|genre=Confident Readers
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|summary=''9 Ways to Empower Tweens'' is a self-help book for tweens, setting out to show them vital #lifeskills. Don't groan! I know there is a market glut of such books for we grown-ups and for young adults too, but there is a needful space in an increasingly technological world accessible to younger and younger children for material for tweens too. 
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|isbn= 0228818826
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}}
  
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|title=Mad About Mega Beasts!
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|isbn=1609809173
|author=Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz (Illustrator)
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|title=Eiffel's Tower for Young People
 +
|author=Jill Jonnes
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=When I was small I was fascinated with things that were big; big buildings, big vehicles, big animals.  However, I have recently learnt that there is a size that is bigger than big – mega.  What beasts, both from now and from the past, are large enough to achieve this accolade and be welcomed into the hallowed pages of this book?
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|summary=Brash and elegant, sophisticated, controversial and vibrant, the 1889 World's Fair in Paris encompassed the best, the worst and the beautiful from many countries and cultures. The French Republic laid out model villages from all their colonies, put on art shows, dance performances, food festivals and concerts to stun the senses. And towering above it all, the most popular and the most hated monument to French accomplishment and daring – the Eiffel Tower.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408329352</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1848576536
|title=Book
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|title=Humanatomy: How the Body Works
|author=John Agard and Neil Packer (illustrator)
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|author=Nicola Edwards and Jem Maybank
|rating=4.5
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|rating=5
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=Meet Book. I'm sure you have many times over, for otherwise you wouldn't be here.  We've met well over 10,000 of them on this website over the past few years of our young life.  I myself have personally reviewed over 1,000 of them in that time (gulp).  Some have been completely enjoyable and spending time with them is like being entertained by a best friend; others have been the equivalent of meeting someone you wouldn't spit on if they were on fire.  But even though Book has talked to me in many different ways in that time, he was yet to tell me exclusively of himself.  This then is Book as historian, as entertainer and again as friend, as Book gives a summary of his own birth, history and current state of play.  And I'm sure you agree he has a lot to be proud of.
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|summary=''Get under your own skin, pick your brains, and go inside your insides!''
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0744544785</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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That's what ''Humanatomy'' invites you to do and honestly, I don't see how you could resist. This informative book provides a wonderful primer about the human body to curious children- from the skeletal system to the muscular system via circulation, respiration and digestion, right up to the DNA that makes who we are.
|title=Animal Lives: Giraffes
 
|author=Sally Morgan
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Animals and Wildlife
 
|summary=The new ''Animal Lives'' series of picture books aims to help young children become animal experts, with each book focusing on a different wild animal. The current series looks at animals of the African savannah and this time it is the turn of the noble giraffe to take centre stage.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781715300</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Langford_Emily
|title=Animal Lives: Elephants
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|title=Emily's Numbers
|author=Sally Morgan
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|author=Joss Langford
|rating=4.5
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|rating=4
|genre=Animals and Wildlife
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|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=The eye-catching image on the cover of this glossy picture book certainly encourages young readers to pick it up and start reading. Two cute baby elephants gaze confidently into the camera lens whilst sharing a trunkful of lush green vegetation. There is just ''something'' about baby elephants, isn't there? Who could resist opening the book for a closer look?
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|summary=Emily found words ''useful'', but counting was what she loved best.  Obviously, you can count anything and there's no limit to how far you can go, but then Emily moved a step further and began counting in twos.  She knew all about odd and even numbers. Then she began counting in threes: half of the list were even numbers, but the other half was odd and it was this list of odd numbers which occurred when you counted in threes which she called ''threeven''.  (Actually, this confused me a little bit at first as they're a subset of the odd numbers but sound as though they ought to be a subset of the even numbers, but it all worked out well when I really thought about it.)
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781715319</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Buckingham_Dawn
|title=Animal Lives: Cheetahs
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|title=The Little Book of the Dawn Chorus
|author=Sally Morgan
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|author=Caz Buckingham and Andrea Pinnington
|rating=4.5
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|rating=5
 
|genre=Animals and Wildlife
 
|genre=Animals and Wildlife
|summary=The first thing that struck me about this book was the excellent use of visuals. Most of the photographs in the book are for a double page spread. The images are crisp and clear and provide a great close-up view of these beautiful cats. Using the photograph as a centrepiece, each two-page section examines a different aspect of cheetah behaviour. Subjects covered include growing up, hunting, territory and cheetahs under threat. The sections have a brief introductory paragraph in large, bold print and then several smaller facts surround the main picture, sometimes including smaller photographs to illustrate the main points.
+
|summary=What a treat!  I really did mean to just ''glance'' at ''The Little Book of the Dawn Chorus'' but the pull of the sounds of a dozen different birds singing their hearts out was far too much to resist on a cold and rather wet February morning. I spent an indulgent hour or so reading all about the birds and listening to their song. Then - just because I could - I went back and did it all again and it was just as good the second time around.  So, what do you get?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781715327</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=Pankhurst_Women
|title=Charles Dickens: Scenes from an Extraordinary Life
+
|title=Fantastically Great Women Who Made History
|author=Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom
+
|author=Kate Pankhurst
|rating=4
+
|rating=5
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=''Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life these pages must show…''  Such Dickens wrote – although of course he never wrote that about himself. He did write a lot – letters, short stories, travel journals, and of course a firm dozen classic novels – but never a strict autobiography. This book for the primary school age reader gets round that by cribbing bits from here and there, and by using a good graphic eye, to tell the stories of not only his life, but many of the works too.
+
|summary=A lot of history is about men. Kings and generals and inventors and politicians. Sometimes, it feels almost as though there were no women in history at all, let alone ones young girls might like to read about or regard as role models. Of course, this isn't true and there are plenty of women who, throughout history, have achieved amazing things or shown incredible bravery, or created something never seen before. So here, in this wonderful picture book from Kate Pankhurst, are the stories of some of them.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847805000</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=Ignotofsky_Sport
|title=Explore and Draw Patterns: An Art Activity Book
+
|title=Women in Sport: Fifty Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win
|author=Owen Davey and Georgia Amson-Bradshaw
+
|author=Rachel Ignotofsky
|rating=4.5
+
|rating=5
|genre=Crafts
+
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=Explore and Draw Patterns is a beautifully presented interactive workbook designed to spark creativity and imagination. The appeal of the subject matter is universal; everyone loves to doodle, so the book would be equally enjoyable for adults or children.
+
|summary=''Women in Sport'' is coming to us just before the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February 2018. It celebrates a century and a half of the development of women's sport by looking at fifty of its highest achievers, covering sports as diverse as swimming, fencing, riding, skating, and much more. Think of a sport and a pioneering woman succeeding at it is probably in this book somewhere. Each entry is a double-page spread with a brief biography and a striking portrait.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782401407</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=Rooney_Dino
|title=Top 10 of Everything 2015
+
|title=Discovering Dinosaurs
|author=Paul Terry
+
|author=Anne Rooney and Suzanne Carpenter
|rating=4.5
+
|rating=4
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=The Top 10 of Everything 2015 is, as the title implies, a compilation of 'top ten' lists covering a wide variety of topics including the natural world, pop culture, sport and technology. The style of the book will appeal to its target audience of pre-teens with its use of bright colours, vibrant images, fun facts, puzzles and quizzes.
+
|summary=Lift the flap books have progressed somewhat since I was a child. This one comes with sounds! Taking us layer by layer, through various different ages of dinosaurs, we meet a variety of creatures, some of whom are very familiar but some I'd never heard of before! Each scene peels open, layer by layer, showing you what the various dinosaurs are getting up to, with background noises, roars and squawks to accompany them! The book creates a dinosaur experience, rather than just being facts about dinosaurs it's very visual, placing the dinosaurs in their habitats and giving us sounds too that spike your imagination.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0600628868</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=Mason_poo
|title=The Life of a Car
+
|title=The Poo That Animals Do
|author=Susan Steggall
+
|author=Paul Mason and Tony de Saulles
|rating=4.5
+
|rating=5
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=As the daughter of a car worker and the mother of a little boy who is fascinated by wheels, ''The Life of a Car'' stood out on the shelf. Part of the ''Busy Wheels'' series, this non fiction picture book illustrates the life cycle of a car from manufacture to scrapping with the help of just the odd word or two or three.
+
|summary=I know, I know, sometimes you really don't want to encourage your children's poo jokes, but this book is brilliant! I sat and read it by myself when the kids had gone to school and found it fascinating! Who knew there was so much I didn't know about poo? The book manages to be both funny (and silly) as well as being very interesting and educational. Using a mixture of facts and figures, photographs and funny cartoons, you come away having sniggered a little at the vulture who poos on its own feet but also knowing a lot about different types of poo, why poos smell, and why wombats do square poos.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847804217</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{newreview
+
Move on to [[Newest Children's Rhymes and Verse Reviews]]
|title=S is for South Africa
 
|author=Beverley Naidoo and Prodeepta Das
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|summary=Beverley Naidoo is best known for her award winning fiction for older readers but in this title in the World Alphabet series she brings her native country of South Africa to life for younger children. Starting with A for the Apartheid Museum and finishing with Zoo Lake in Jo’burg she covers many different aspects of life including traditions, food, landscape, animals, music and family life and each subject is accompanied by one of Prodeepta Das’s stunning photos. The poetic text flows and this would work well read aloud.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847805027</amazonuk>
 
}}
 

Latest revision as of 13:29, 9 September 2023

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Review of

A World of Dogs by Carlie Sorosiak and Luisa Uribe

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

In the interests of full disclosure, I must tell you that I'm a sucker for dogs. In nearly eight decades, I've never met one I didn't trust and I've loved most of them. I wish I felt the same about human beings. So, any book about dogs, I'm going to sit down and devour. Then I'm going to go back and read it properly. And so it was with A World of Dogs, with ninety-six pages devoted entirely to my four-legged friends. Author Carlie Sorosiak found herself the accidental owner of an American Dingo - she's learned quite a lot about dogs since then. Full Review

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Review of

The Repair Shop Craft Book by Walker Books and Sonia Albert (Illustrator)

4.5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

I love The Repair Shop. It's my go-to programme when I want to be cheered up. After a hard day, there's nothing better than watching experts repair treasured items without ever mentioning what they're worth. You see, the value is in what these possessions are worth to the people who own them and the memories they hold. No expense appears to be spared and the experts spend as much time and effort as is required to achieve the desired result. Regular viewers know the experts and they're all brilliant at explaining what it is they're doing. But how did they start? Full Review

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Review of

Stolen History by Sathnam Sanghera

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

I was the bad company other people got into at school. I was disruptive in religious education classes because I disputed the existence of a 'god'. Where was the proof? In history lessons, it was probably worse still. Not too long after the end of WWII, I didn't so much want to learn about the British army's successes (and occasional failures, but we didn't dwell on those) in what came to be called 'the colonies' as want to dispute what right the army had to be there in the first place. Looking back, I still believe I was right - but I regret that I lacked the maturity to approach 'the problem' politely. I wish I'd had Sathnam Sanghera's Stolen History. Full Review

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Review of

Fritz and Kurt by Jeremy Dronfield and David Ziggy Greene

4star.jpg Confident Readers

We start with the pair of brothers Fritz and Kurt, and their muckers, doing things any Jewish lad in 1930s Vienna would want to do – kicking things around the empty market place, helping the neighbours, being dutiful when it comes to the synagogue choir and at a vocational school. Kurt has to make sure the lamps are turned on at their very Orthodox neighbours' each Friday night – the Sabbath preventing them for using anything nearly as mechanical and workmanlike as a light switch. But this is the time just before the Austrian leader is going to cave to Hitler's will, and instead of having a national vote to keep the Nazis out, invite them in with open arms. Kristallnacht happened in Vienna just as much as in Germany, as did all the round-ups of Jews. These in their turn leave the younger Kurt at home with his mother and sisters anxious to hear word of an evacuation to Britain or the US, while Fritz and his father are, unknown initially to each other, packed off on the same train to Buchenwald and the stone quarry there. And us wondering how the titular event for the adult variant of all this could come about… Full Review

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Review of

Britannica's Word of the Day by Patrick Kelly, Renee Kelly and Sue Macy

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

Britannica's Word of the Day has a sub-title: 366 Elevating Utterances to Stretch Your Cranium and Tickle Your Humerus which probably tells you all that you need to know about this brilliant book. It starts on January 1st with Razzmatazz, tells you how to pronounce it (raz-muh-TAZ), gives you a definition and then includes the word in a sentence so that you know how it should be used. You also get an engaging and frequently amusing illustration too. I don't think I've ever encountered a word which uses the letter Z four times before! Full Review

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Review of

The Secret Life of Birds by Moira Butterfield and Vivian Mineker (illustrator)

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

I have recently discovered a great pleasure: I sit and watch the vast numbers of birds which visit our garden on a daily basis. An hour can pass without my noticing. I've established which species feed from the ground, which pop to the feeders for a quick snatch of some food and who settles in for a good munch but I wish I was more knowledgeable. It would have been wonderful if, as a child, I'd had access to a book such as The Secret Life of Birds. So – what is it? Full Review

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Review of

Very Short Introductions for Curious Young Minds: The Invisible World of Germs by Isabel Thomas

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

'Germs' seems to have become a catch-all word to cover anything unpleasant which has the potential to make you ill. In the first book in what looks to be a very promising new series, OUP and Isabel Thomas have provided a clear and accessible introduction to the world of germs. We get an informed look at how people originally thought about diseases and what they thought caused them and how the thinking has developed over time. The vocabulary can be confusing but Thomas gives a regular box headed 'speak like a scientist' which explains some of the trickiest concepts and you'll soon be familiar with bacteria, fungi, protists and viruses – and how we should protect ourselves. Full Review

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Review of

100 Ways in 100 Days to Teach Your Baby Maths: Support All Areas of Your Baby’s Development by Nurturing a Love of Maths by Emma Smith

4.5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

Babies seem to be born with an amazing number sense: understanding shapes in the womb, being aware of quantities at seven hours old, assessing probability at six months old, and comprehending addition and subtraction at nine months old.

Did you know this? I didn't! How about:

Maths ability on entry to school is a strong predictor of later achievement, double that of literacy skills.

I didn't know this either! I think most parents are aware that giving your children a good start in literacy - reading stories, teaching pen grips, singing rhymes - gives children a solid foundation when they start school. But do we think the same way about maths, beyond counting? I don't think we do, in part because so many of us are afraid of maths. But why are we? Most of us use maths in daily life without realising and it follows that giving our children a similar pre-school grounding will be just as beneficial. Full Review

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Review of

The Awesome Power of Sleep: How Sleep Super-Charges Your Teenage Brain by Nicola Morgan

5star.jpg Teens

2020 has been a strange year: I doubt anyone would argue with that statement. Lots of our routines have been completely dismantled and for some teenagers this will have brought about sleep problems. Some teens will dismiss this as irrelevant ('who needs sleep? - I've got loads to be doing) and others will worry unnecessarily. Most people, from children to adults will have the odd bad night but worrying about your lack of sleep is only likely to make it worse. And there's also the fact that for far too long, lack of sleep has been lauded as a virtue and sleep made to seem like laziness. Being up early, working late has been praised and the ability to survive on little sleep has almost become something to put on your CV. Full Review

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Review of

Count on Me by Miguel Tanco

4.5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

The title and format of this book might lead you to think that it's either about responsibility - or it's a basic 1-2-3 book for those just starting out on the numbers journey. It isn't: it's a hymn of praise to maths. It's about why maths is so wonderful and how you meet it in everyday life. Full Review

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Review of

It Isn't Rude to be Nude by Rosie Haine

5star.jpg For Sharing

This could have been one of those books which 'preaches to the choir': the only people who'll buy it are the people who know that nudity is OK and the ones who know that it's shameful will avoid it like they avoid the hot-and-bothered person in the supermarket who is coughing fit to bust. But... Rosie Haines makes it into something so much more than a book about not wearing clothes. It's a celebration of bodies: bodies large and small and of every possible hue. Bodies with disabilities and markings. They're fine. In fact, they're wonderful. Full Review

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Review of

How Do You Make a Baby? by Anna Fiske and Don Bartlett (translator)

5star.jpg Home and Family

It's more than sixty years since I asked how babies were made. My mother was deeply embarrassed and told me that she'd get me a book about it. A couple of days later I was handed a pamphlet (which delivered nothing more than the basics, in clinical language which had never been used in our house before) and I was told that it wouldn't be discussed any further as it wasn't something which nice people talked about. I knew more, but was little wiser. Thankfully, times have changed. Full Review

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Review of

Dosh: How to Earn It, Save It, Spend It, Grow It, Give It by Rashmi Sirdeshpande

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

What a relief! A book about money, for children, with clear explanations of what it is, why it matters, how to acquire more of it (nope - robbing banks is out) and what you can do with it when you've managed to get hold of it. Your reasons for wanting money don't matter: we all need it to some extent. You might want to go into business, be a clever shopper, a saver (you might even become an investor) and there might be something you really, really want to buy. There's also the possibility of using to do good in the world. Full Review

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Review of

Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 Mission by David Long and Stefano Tambellini (illustrator)

5star.jpg Dyslexia Friendly

It's fifty years since the Apollo 13 mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, but the story of that journey remains one of the greatest survival stories of all time. Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 Mission is a brilliant retelling of what happened. Full Review

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Review of

Nine Ways to Empower Tweens by Kathleen Boucher and Sara Chadwick

4.5star.jpg Confident Readers

9 Ways to Empower Tweens is a self-help book for tweens, setting out to show them vital #lifeskills. Don't groan! I know there is a market glut of such books for we grown-ups and for young adults too, but there is a needful space in an increasingly technological world accessible to younger and younger children for material for tweens too. Full Review

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Review of

Eiffel's Tower for Young People by Jill Jonnes

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

Brash and elegant, sophisticated, controversial and vibrant, the 1889 World's Fair in Paris encompassed the best, the worst and the beautiful from many countries and cultures. The French Republic laid out model villages from all their colonies, put on art shows, dance performances, food festivals and concerts to stun the senses. And towering above it all, the most popular and the most hated monument to French accomplishment and daring – the Eiffel Tower. Full Review

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Review of

Humanatomy: How the Body Works by Nicola Edwards and Jem Maybank

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

Get under your own skin, pick your brains, and go inside your insides!

That's what Humanatomy invites you to do and honestly, I don't see how you could resist. This informative book provides a wonderful primer about the human body to curious children- from the skeletal system to the muscular system via circulation, respiration and digestion, right up to the DNA that makes who we are. Full Review

Langford Emily.jpg

Review of

Emily's Numbers by Joss Langford

4star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

Emily found words useful, but counting was what she loved best. Obviously, you can count anything and there's no limit to how far you can go, but then Emily moved a step further and began counting in twos. She knew all about odd and even numbers. Then she began counting in threes: half of the list were even numbers, but the other half was odd and it was this list of odd numbers which occurred when you counted in threes which she called threeven. (Actually, this confused me a little bit at first as they're a subset of the odd numbers but sound as though they ought to be a subset of the even numbers, but it all worked out well when I really thought about it.) Full Review

Buckingham Dawn.jpg

Review of

The Little Book of the Dawn Chorus by Caz Buckingham and Andrea Pinnington

5star.jpg Animals and Wildlife

What a treat! I really did mean to just glance at The Little Book of the Dawn Chorus but the pull of the sounds of a dozen different birds singing their hearts out was far too much to resist on a cold and rather wet February morning. I spent an indulgent hour or so reading all about the birds and listening to their song. Then - just because I could - I went back and did it all again and it was just as good the second time around. So, what do you get? Full Review

Pankhurst Women.jpg

Review of

Fantastically Great Women Who Made History by Kate Pankhurst

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

A lot of history is about men. Kings and generals and inventors and politicians. Sometimes, it feels almost as though there were no women in history at all, let alone ones young girls might like to read about or regard as role models. Of course, this isn't true and there are plenty of women who, throughout history, have achieved amazing things or shown incredible bravery, or created something never seen before. So here, in this wonderful picture book from Kate Pankhurst, are the stories of some of them. Full Review

Ignotofsky Sport.jpg

Review of

Women in Sport: Fifty Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win by Rachel Ignotofsky

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

Women in Sport is coming to us just before the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February 2018. It celebrates a century and a half of the development of women's sport by looking at fifty of its highest achievers, covering sports as diverse as swimming, fencing, riding, skating, and much more. Think of a sport and a pioneering woman succeeding at it is probably in this book somewhere. Each entry is a double-page spread with a brief biography and a striking portrait. Full Review

Rooney Dino.jpg

Review of

Discovering Dinosaurs by Anne Rooney and Suzanne Carpenter

4star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

Lift the flap books have progressed somewhat since I was a child. This one comes with sounds! Taking us layer by layer, through various different ages of dinosaurs, we meet a variety of creatures, some of whom are very familiar but some I'd never heard of before! Each scene peels open, layer by layer, showing you what the various dinosaurs are getting up to, with background noises, roars and squawks to accompany them! The book creates a dinosaur experience, rather than just being facts about dinosaurs it's very visual, placing the dinosaurs in their habitats and giving us sounds too that spike your imagination. Full Review

Mason poo.jpg

Review of

The Poo That Animals Do by Paul Mason and Tony de Saulles

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

I know, I know, sometimes you really don't want to encourage your children's poo jokes, but this book is brilliant! I sat and read it by myself when the kids had gone to school and found it fascinating! Who knew there was so much I didn't know about poo? The book manages to be both funny (and silly) as well as being very interesting and educational. Using a mixture of facts and figures, photographs and funny cartoons, you come away having sniggered a little at the vulture who poos on its own feet but also knowing a lot about different types of poo, why poos smell, and why wombats do square poos. Full Review

Move on to Newest Children's Rhymes and Verse Reviews