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Find out moreScience should be exciting for young people, giving them skills and opportunities to improve their futures. Here are a selection of books we love, books we think will inspire every child to become more interested in Science.
The second laugh-out-loud adventure for Leonora Bolt, Secret Inventor. Leonora isn't supposed to be building a submarine in a tree. Or turning the local wildlife luminous. In fact, she is supposed to be keeping her head down and drawing no attention - because Leonora Bolt is an inventor in secret. But she can't stop thinking of the clues she found to her missing parents' location. So, deep in hiding in Snorebury, desperately trying to avoid being discovered by her evil uncle, Leonora is hatching a plan. So what if involves launching a homemade submarine into the middle of the ocean, accompanied only by a couple of friends and an otter with particularly sensitive whiskers? For when disaster strikes, Leonora's wackiest plan might just be her most brilliant yet.
A marvellous must-have book for STEM fans. Containing 100 words from science, technology, engineering and maths, this illustrated A-Z of STEM takes you on a journey from adaptation, to zoology through fibonacci, metamorphic and olfactory. If you don't know your algorithm from your ytterbium, and you love science, then this is the book for you! With a contents list at the front and a full index at the back kids can research to their heart's delight. Beautifully produced by STEM expert Jenny Jacoby and illustrated by Blue Peter Book Award winning Vicky Barker, this book is a non-fiction delight for kids aged 7+.
This is the latest book in Ben Garrod’s excellent series, Extinct. Previous books have examined mass extinctions and the creatures that disappeared from Earth as a result, from Hallucigenia to the Megaladon, and we’ve learned that extinction can be a natural process and can even help evolution. But the mass extinction he’s examining in this book is different, because the Anthropocene has been caused by humans. The subject of this book, the Hainan gibbon, is not extinct but it is critically endangered. With the help of experts, Garrod explains the impact humans have had on habitats and species and how it’s still possible for us to save the Hainan gibbon and other endangered species. As with all the books in the series, it’s full of information and the latest scientific thinking, explained with real clarity and quite a bit of humour, the text accompanied by wonderful full colour illustrations. Garrod’s passion and enthusiasm shines through and readers of any and all ages will benefit from reading this series.
Part of the Very Short Introductions for Curious Young Minds series, The Secrets of the Universe tackles big questions in manageable bite-sized chunks. This colourful, compact book can’t be beaten on the accessibility front as it answers questions like “what is the universe?”, “how big is it?”, “what’s our place in it?”, with “Speak like a Scientist” boxes highlighting key terminology budding scientists will relish adding to their vocabulary. As the book takes us through the history of studying the universe, and explains everything from gravity, galaxies and the lives of stars, to the Big Bang, the infographics, photographs and cartoons make digesting big concepts a tasty delight. And, like all the books in this impressive series, The Secrets of the Universe was created by experts. In this case, the book was written by a doctor of astrophysics in consultation with a Cambridge University cosmologist.
Part of the Very Short Introductions for Curious Young Minds series, The Invisible World of Germs delivers fascinating information in engaging style. Kicking off with a clear explanation of what germs are, and an intriguing history, colourful cartoons introduce us to the different types of germ - bacteria, fungi, protists and viruses. At every stage, readers are armed with terminology through “Speak like a Scientist” features as we discover how germs are transmitted, our natural defences, and the future of germs. Like all the books in the series, The Invisible World of Germs was written in consultation with an expert in the field, and presented in a cute, colourful, compact format that makes exploring the subject a rewarding breeze, with plenty of easy-to-digest infographics, photographs and fun dialogue boxes.
Circle loves the tower that the squares and hexagons have built and wants to make his own. But circles, diamonds and triangles are pointier, rounder and much wobblier - making a tower is not as easy as it looks! The shapes try and try but their tower just keeps tumbling down. Can Circle persuade them to have just one more try? In this perfectly shaped follow up to the bestselling The Perfect Fit geometry meets brilliant storytelling and vibrant artwork.
May 2022 Book of the Month | This attractively illustrated and cleverly designed book is targeted at children from ages 4-8 and successfully employs key strategies to absolutely ensure their engagement. A pleasingly diverse and relatable cast of characters, Lilli, Bea and Leo, are inquisitive friends who love adventure and solving problems. They discover that when they need help with a difficult problem, if they just hold hands and think hard, they are transported to the magical kingdom of Questland where they are transformed into, ever popular, Superheroes. There it is up to them to complete a series of challenges using key STEM skills, cooperation, and teamwork. I am sure parents will find the explanatory glossary outlining the STEM skills involved in each book very useful! For the reader these books develop key essential learning skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. One can easily imagine a group of children, or a child and parent or carer, talking together to solve the entertaining puzzles. The very sturdily produced book comes complete with reusable stickers and rewards to collect and the questfriendz.com website provides free activity sheets and supporting classroom materials, lesson plan guides and extra downloadable stickers. By ensuring that children are attracted by the imaginative story and characters, engaged in fun activities and rewarded for their success, this will be a sure fire hit at home or at school and a brilliant example of learning through play!
Young readers who love the idea of exploration and in particular journeys to far off places to meet the animals that live there, will find lots to enjoy in this bright, stimulating information book. Double page spreads depict different habitats, from grassland to mountains, rainforests (you’ll need to turn the book sideways for that one) and the ice caps (North and South, turn the book upside down). Each scene is full of the amazing animals that thrive there, all depicted in attractive cartoon-style illustrations while integrated text gives us background information together with some amazing and memorable facts. Did you know for example that brown bears can eat for up to 20 hours a day; that marine iguanas, the only sea-swimming iguanas on earth, sneeze out salty sea water after a big swim; or that camels have two sets of eye-lashes. The page layouts and illustrations are very appealing and this is a great and inspiring way to explore the world without leaving home.
From early childhood boys often feel pressured to be athletic and muscular. But what impact does this have on physical and mental well-being through their teens and beyond? Worryingly, a third of teen boys are trying to 'bulk up' due to body dissatisfaction, and boys and men account for 25% of eating disorder cases. What can we tell our boys to help them feel happy and confident simply being themselves? Being You has the answers! It's an easy-to-read, evidence-based guide to developing a positive body image for boys aged 12+. It covers all the facts on puberty, diet, exercise, self-care, mental health, social media, and everything in-between. Boys will find answers to the questions most on their mind, the truth behind many diet and exercise myths, and real-life stories from other boys. Armed with this book, they will understand that muscles don't make a man - it's enough simply being you!
I can’t imagine why such an informative book hasn’t been written before! Looking at how the animal kingdom builds its homes and the ways this has influenced people to look at new construction methods and ways of living. A simple but fascinating story plays out here arranged into five different areas – looking at construction methods, the materials used, the shapes that nature produces, energy use and water use – all vitally important topics in modern construction. Animals and insects covered include the well-studied bee, termites, and coral as well as the wonderfully named Diabolical Ironclad beetle. Light is explored through the peacock and energy through the prairie dog and the tree. Who knew that the camel was fast becoming more famous for the way it’s nose works - by condensing the vapour it breathes out back into water and keeping it within its body? Or that this technology could now be used to help deserts bloom? This is a fascinating look at all sorts of animal builders and their legacies to us – arranged in such a way that it can be dipped into or read cover to cover. The bright illustrations and text blocks provide lots of information in a very accessible format. As is always vital in a book like this a detailed contents page and index help students find what they are looking for and a fun quiz finishes off the read. A book that will be used again and again.
A Scientific Guide to Growing Up | Dr Pang was diagnosed as autistic at the age of eight and saw the world differently. This book explores all the stages of life as readers grow up and explains them in the terms of scientific concepts. This is based on Dr Pang’s life and the fact that quite early on she realised that science with its tangible and logical patterns helped her understand all the things that seemed so strange and messy in ordinary life. The book acknowledges that it is difficult growing up and becoming the person you want to be for everyone, but it uses that as a key into the scientific possibilities of understanding some of those difficult areas. These include things like stereotyping, how to handle emotions, dealing with pressure, finding your own personal passions to list just a few. This is a book that will be very useful to many people as it helps us look at and explain some of life’s intricacies and problems with a different perspective. Ideal for PHSE collections and it will appeal across a wide cohort of young people.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2022 | Science fiction has long delighted readers with its inventive ideas and incredible technology. Ideas such as time travel, teleporting and the creation of artificial life have always seemed destined to remain a fiction: just something to dream about. Beyond Belief takes a look at how scientists and inventors have been inspired to turn some of these fantasies into reality. They are hard enough to imagine and it is even more remarkable to think that they might one day become part of everyday life.
