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A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month October 2020 | Starting with a timeline that stretches from the ‘Big Bang’ to ‘The Modern Age (1940- the present day)’ this is a largely pictorial history covering physical and social developments in big, bold outlines which convey the main messages which are then fleshed out in much greater depth through detailed, fact-filled captions. The topics covered in each of the double-page spreads include ‘Our Home in Space’, ‘The Dinosaur Age’ , ‘Cities, Civilizations and Empires’ and ‘Technology’. The illustrations that convey them determinedly simple which gives the book a welcome, distinctively different look. Find out more about Anna and another of her books, The Mermaid Atlas, in this Q&A.
Amazing True-Life Tales; Astounding Wildlife Facts | A mix of inspiring true stories and fascinating facts and information, all presented across bright, colourful pages with striking, atmospheric illustrations, this is a terrific book for anyone who loves animals. Amongst the animal heroes whose stories we hear are Balto, a sledge dog who helped deliver live-saving medicine in the Alaska winter; Wojtek, the bear who became a favourite with Polish soldiers in World War 2; and Machli, a tiger who fought with an enormous crocodile to save her cubs. There are lots more too, animals who were never given names but whose actions demonstrate incredible intelligence and resilience. As Jess French says in her introduction, there’s always something new to learn about animals, and this book proves that time and time again.
These books hit the back of the net every time as far as I’m concerned. Packed full of facts, information and insight on a range of school topics, but all of them explained through football. Subjects covered include biology, via close-ups on footballers’ feet (not nearly as nice as you’d think apparently); physics – why it pays to be small when you’re dribbling (Lionel Messi anyone?); history, includes a look at the creation of the rules of football, something that took place in Sheffield in 1857; while the chapter on English is all about how to be a successful commentator. It’s fascinating stuff, and really memorable too. Anyone who reads this will learn a lot, no matter their age, and they’ll laugh a lot too – much of it is very funny, and cartoons by Spike Gerrell add to the entertainment value. Top of the league reading! One of our 2018 Books of the Year.
Fur-raising tales of real-life Rebel Cats! Discover secrets, stories and facts about history's most fascinating felines! An engaging collection about cats who are the heroes of their own stories, Rebel Cats introduces us to fur-raising facts and adventures from around the world and across the centuries. With profiles of over 30 real-life felines, including WWII heroes, courageous adventurers, a Guinness World Record holder and even an astrocat that travelled in space (and made it back to Earth to tell the tale). Plus tons of information on cat activism, feline myths and more! Rebel Cats is the perfect gift for any cat lover, all year round!
Packed full of interesting facts and quirky details, presented in bite-sized chunks of text and vibrant illustrations The Awesome Book of Space lives up to its name. Adam Frost was the worthy winner of the Blue Peter Best Book of Facts 2016 with The Epic Book of Epicness and brings his eye-catching style and enthusiasm to the subject of space covering space travel, planets and stars but with plenty of bizarre facts too such as on Mars snowflakes are square, Russian cosmonauts change their pants once a week and the most likely day to see 'aliens' is the 4th July! With the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings in 2019 there will be many books published on this subject but for 5-9 year olds you'd struggle to find an more entertaining and informative source.
One of our 2018 Books of the Year | These books hit the back of the net every time as far as I’m concerned. Packed full of facts, information and insight on a range of school topics, but all of them explained through football. Subjects covered include biology, via close-ups on footballers’ feet (not nearly as nice as you’d think apparently); physics – why it pays to be small when you’re dribbling (Lionel Messi anyone?); history, includes a look at the creation of the rules of football, something that took place in Sheffield in 1857; while the chapter on English is all about how to be a successful commentator. It’s fascinating stuff, and really memorable too. Anyone who reads this will learn a lot, no matter their age, and they’ll laugh a lot too – much of it is very funny, and cartoons by Spike Gerrell add to the entertainment value. Top of the league reading!
One of our 2018 Books of the Year | These books hit the back of the net every time as far as I’m concerned. Packed full of facts, information and insight on a range of school topics, but all of them explained through football. Subjects covered include biology, via close-ups on footballers’ feet (not nearly as nice as you’d think apparently); physics – why it pays to be small when you’re dribbling (Lionel Messi anyone?); history, includes a look at the creation of the rules of football, something that took place in Sheffield in 1857; while the chapter on English is all about how to be a successful commentator. It’s fascinating stuff, and really memorable too. Anyone who reads this will learn a lot, no matter their age, and they’ll laugh a lot too – much of it is very funny, and cartoons by Spike Gerrell add to the entertainment value. Top of the league reading!
Can you guess which of these facts is NOT true? Woodlice have blue blood. Dead cabbage cafe is the name of a band. King Edward III banned football in England. You swallow about one litre of snot a day! (That's roughly five skips FULL of snot, swallowed during your lifetime.) When glass snakes are attacked, their tail shatters into little pieces - these pieces jump around and distract the predator... while the rest of the snake escapes! Hunt for fascinating facts and use your detective skills to uncover the untrue 'fact'. With hilarious illustrations from the brilliant Gemma Correll, you'll need all your brains to uncover the false fact: can you 'squash' the made-up bug fact, decipher hieroglyphics, and join the stars in a night-time sky to find all the answers? Put your skills to the test as you Splat the Fact!
This clever, hugely entertaining book is further proof, if it were needed, that football is the best game in the world, and that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, you can’t learn from studying it. Authors Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton teach physics through looking at the shape of the ball and how it is constructed; geography by examining pitches; business studies via the transfer market (of course); and psychology by studying managerial techniques (from Klopp to Fergie). They also include a section on ‘after school activities’, chapters specifically designed to help you improve your health and concentration skills. Even if you don’t much like football, you’ll be inspired and informed by this book, and it’s a real winner. ~ Andrea Reece
Football is the world’s most popular sport, and the world cup will see millions of people across the globe united in their love of the game. This book will fascinate any fan. It covers all aspects of the game, from early history to modern times, focussing on the people, teams, cups and leagues as well as the moves, the tactics and the places too that make football what it is today. While there are 50 different chapters, you’ll certainly learn more than 50 different things. Pages feature colour photographs making it very appealing to look at while short paragraphs of text in panels mean it’s just right for dipping into, or for catching the eye of reluctant readers. Top of the league stuff!
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2010. Prize-winning author Patrick Ness follows up The Knife of Never Letting Go with equally hard hitting The Ask and the Answer. Trying to escape, Todd and Viola fall into the hands of Mayor Prentiss. Separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd can tell there are some deep and dark secrets outside the town. Who are the mysterious Answer? As gripping as The Knife of Never Letting Go, this is a tough but compelling story which takes readers into shocking and moving territory. Winner of the prestigious Costa Children's Book Award 2009 - the judges acclaimed it as “a major achievement in the making” Shortlisted for the Teenage Book of the Year Award 2009.
This book certainly gets my vote! Any young people who think politics is boring or nothing to do with them will likely have their minds changed by this excellent book. Over bright pages, liberally illustrated with attractive and informative cartoons, it breaks politics down, explaining government and political systems, elections and voting, political change and ideologies, and finishes by posing some big questions, on subjects including war, human rights, feminism, the environment. Various experts have contributed, including John Pienaar, Rachel Reeves MP and Nick Clegg MP, and this is extremely well thought out and well presented. Watch out for the suggestion that school is just a bit feudal, and encourage everyone to look at the section called ‘How to argue’.
