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Find out moreHow many times as parents are we asked How? Why? When? And Where? Questions? Help your kids to get to know more about the world around you with our Fascinating Facts category - The perfect way of cramming their heads full of facts without them even noticing.
September 2016 Fascinating Facts Book of the Month Anything you can imagine, you can animate says this stimulating book, and it explains clearly and simply the ten key skills readers need to become expert animators, starting with flipbook loops and ending with special effects, lighting and camera skills. The instructions are carefully worded to be friendly and easy to follow, while the colour illustrations on every page help to explain the different processes, and keep it all feeling fun and uncomplicated. There are lots of extra handy tips in text flashes, a page of useful links and a glossary with definitions of technical and unfamiliar terms. This is an inspiring and really useful guide for young would-be animators. ~ Andrea Reece
Written and compiled by the team behind Whitaker’s Almanack, Chronologica provides a eye-opening tour through over 2500 years of world history, starting in 753BC with the founding of Rome, and finishing in 1989 with the Tiananmen Square riots, the fall of the Berlin wall and Tim Berners-Lee’s invention of the World Wide Web. It picks out key years, and explains two or three important events that took place within those twelve months, combining politics, geography, art, music, science and sport. The information is presented succinctly and clearly, often accompanied by colour illustrations, and it’s great for dipping into, while also providing fascinating snapshots of human thought and activity through the centuries. The What On Earth? Wallbook Timeline of History gives a more pictorial review of world history as it happened and is equally informative and inspiring. ~ Andrea Reece
We all want our children to be happy and resilient, but may not realise that they can be taught skills to make them happier people. Written by a psychologist with the charity Action for Happiness, this book explains ten keys to happier living and sets out practical, fun activities for children to do that will make a real and lasting difference to their lives. The text is friendly and reassuring, broken down into easily accessible paragraphs or charts while bright graphics with animated characters make it attractive to look at too. Each of the ten chapters has tips for children to use in their everyday lives, including a section on developing mindfulness. Happiness really matters, and the more children and adults who read this book, the better. ~ Andrea Reece
Mankind has always been fascinated by space - prehistoric man built temples to honour the moon and sun, early civilisations developed theories about what went on up there, and scientists and philosophers from Pythagoras to Copernicus have been drawn to it ever since. Our obsession has led us in to space itself. Not to mention the numerous amazing books, films and UFO 'experiences'. Everything there is to know about space is here. With pictures. It's very very funny.
Innovative and inclusive, The Barefoot Book of Children empowers young readers to learn about the different lives of children around the globe. Whilst being gently encouraged to ponder their own place in the world - the sights and sounds, the place they live - this beautifully illustrated book takes them on a journey to other children throughout the world inviting comparisons and further thoughts about differences. This is a wonderful celebration of all the things that make us unique and different, yet expresses how each individual is just the same in their hopes, fears and dreams and the fact that they all have a story to share. This is a very important book to share with children and perfect for raising a gentle discussion about diversity. ~ Shelley Fallows A Piece of Passion from the Publisher: You’re a part of the world, and a world all your own. That’s the one fact that The Barefoot Book of Children co-author Kate DePalma wants to pass on to her young daughter ? and the idea that sparked Children. Co-authors DePalma and Tessa Strickland penned the book’s simple, poetic text over the course of a few spring days in Oxford. To ensure that the text and illustrations would be as sensitive as possible, the co-authors then consulted with an entire team of specialists, including a child development expert and the diversity specialists at Inclusive Minds. They were also delighted to commission David Dean, the illustrator of the bestselling Barefoot Books World Atlas, knowing that he’d do the meticulous research the project required. The result - DePalma and Strickland’s beautiful book will pass on incredible wisdom to children everywhere - children who, one day, may build a better, kinder world. To order direct through Barefoot Books please click here.
All the most horrible facts about the Groovy Greeks ready for readers to uncover, including why girls ran about naked pretending to be bears, who had the world's first flushing toilet and why dedicated doctors tasted their patients' ear wax.
Ocean Emporium is a fine example of the new wave of non-fiction books which are not just full of thoughtfully presented information but as beautiful to look at as the best picture books. Susie Brooks and Dawn Cooper take readers through the world’s oceans, opening our eyes to the extraordinary variety of creatures that inhabit them, and illustrating some of the dramas that take place there – a confrontation between a pack of orcas and a great white shark is particularly memorable. It’s not just the big predators that catch our attention – the sea urchins, pipefish, nudi branchs (sea slugs) will fascinate children too. Each creature is labelled with its common and scientific name, and there is a useful glossary and index. This is a book to pore over, one that will open children’s eyes to the beauty of the natural world, and inspire them to find out more.
Who doesn’t like playing with balloons and bubbles? Now you can have all the fun and learn about science at the same time. There are 35 different activities in this book, each using a balloon or bubbles and, mostly, everyday household objects as equipment, from dried yeast to bubble wrap. There’s a strong ‘wow factor’ to the experiments, whether that’s making a long snake of colourful bubbles, or pushing a bamboo skewer through a balloon without causing it to pop, and they’re clearly explained with the help of illustrations and photographs. Each activity features paragraphs called ‘let’s investigate’ and ‘inside the science’ which explain the processes involved. Fascinating, informative stuff, and there’s even a chapter on cooking with bubbles – after all, what’s cooking if not science? ~ Andrea Reece
Children fascinated by TV cookery programmes will learn just what’s involved in being a chef from this book, as well as lots about nutrition, hygiene and even kitchen equipment. The introduction explains that being a chef is not just about making delicious food, though obviously that’s important, but is also about managing a team of cooks, buying the best ingredients and making sure that your restaurant is a success – leadership skills and an understanding of maths and science are all part of that. No wonder then that the book is so varied, full of all sorts of interesting information presented over appealing, colourful pages. Children are invited to observe what’s in their own kitchens, as well as given write-in challenges to complete. There are a couple of simple but tasty recipes to follow too. Fun and informative. ~ Andrea Reece Every country has its own different kinds of food. Download a map of the world featuring some of the most popular dishes across the globe. How many have you tried? One of a number of titles in the Academy series. To go to our special Academy series category click here.
Visually alive, original and information rich, this handsome book will fascinate budding young palaeontologists. It speaks directly to the reader, placing them in the heart of the action, ‘As you travel through the Triassic landscape you notice it’s dry and sandy …’, providing close up encounters with dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. Readers travel on from the Triassic age through the Jurassic ages and finally into the Cretaceous period, and it’s an information-packed journey. The text explains clearly why dinosaurs ruled the earth for so long. The illustrations are eye-catching, the dinosaurs vivid, almost fluorescent, in red, green, yellow, pink and blues (after all, no-one knows what colour they were). Stunning to look at and fascinating reading. ~ Andrea Reece
This handsome, large format information book provides a fascinating introduction to the world of bugs (meaning the entire class of insects). Readers will gain a good understanding of insects in part one, from what they are to how they live; the book then looks at the different type of bugs in closer detail, picking out creatures such as the bullet ant or giant mesquite bug to explain more about their senses, defence, life cycles. Illustrations show the insects larger than life in eye-catching colour, but each is noted with its actual size too. Scientific terms are used throughout, all clearly listed and explained in a glossary. Attractive to look at, this is well thought-out and inspiring. ~ Andrea Reece
Our Fascinating Facts category includes titles that children of all ages can really get their teeth into and enjoy whilst also filling up their brain with useful facts to help them better understand our amazing world.
Non-fiction readers will enjoy some additional special features we have on the LoveReading4Kids site, packed with interesting factual books to suit a range of ages;
30 Seconds - This striking, energetic series takes a rapid-fire ‘look and learn’ approach to curriculum-linked subjects suitable for children aged 8 and over. With fascinating topics ranging from Space to Inventions, from Myths to the Human Brain, each of these books presents a key subject in a fresh and fascinating format.
The Academy Series - a great non-fiction series for children aged 7 to 10 approximately offering an introduction to a range of subjects through fun activities and imaginative play.
Little People, Big Dreams - Discover the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.
The What On Earth? series from Christopher Lloyd which brings facts to life! Each book contains a fold-out timeline, with intricate illustrations and bitesize pieces of information, which show the complete story of a range of popular non-fiction subjects including Science, History, Sport, Shakespeare and Nature.
You can read more about the What on Earth series in our special section here or visit www.whatonearthbooks.com/shop where, in addition to the fantastic Wallbooks there are a range of sticker books and poster books available.
This category will be refreshed regularly as we find what we think are the best of breed books across age ranges and interests but all of them in their own way will bring factual information vividly to life. So whether you have a keen reader or a reluctant one, a toddler or a teenager there's something here for them to get their teeth into.
