New non-fiction: Things that go bump in the night

Paranormal Files

We’ve got a cool new series of books called the Paranormal Files, for all you ghost hunters and alien watchers out there. While there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about such things, these books are a fun read. They contain many interesting stories from all over the world, like the terrifying story of the Kuchisake-onna, a Japanese ghost who you wouldn’t like to meet on a dark night! You might think you have read all you need to know about such things as stories are often repeated across different books. Any ghost enthusiast will be able to tell you about Borley Rectory or Glamis castle, but this book has a whole load of new stories that will send a shiver up your spine…or convince you to go looking for ghosts yourself.

The other books in the series are interesting, too. For cryptozoologists (people interested in animals whose existence has not been confirmed by science)  there’s a cool book on Bigfoot and other Ape-men. Sadly it doesn’t mention New Zealand’s own Moehau man, but there are stories from almost every other continent.

        

Fossilized Series

If you’ve got an interest in the remains of the past, check this series out. They’re a good introduction to Paleontology (the study of fossils ) with some great pictures and information about where fossils are found, how the paleontologists find out how old they are,  and what they show about the creatures and people of the past.

   

Draw 50…

After reading those books you may need  some light relief. Or you may want to make your own stories about all the things you’ve found out.  In that case, the “Draw 50” books are great. As the title suggests, there are 50 things in here that the book will teach you to draw.  The instructions are a lot more detailed than a lot of ‘how to draw’ art books; you start out with simple lines and then add detail on top of that. That’s pretty cool, as it helps you create a drawing with the correct proportions. There are many books in the series, so have a look through the catalogue.

       

New Non Fiction: Animals and Heroes


Albert Einstein and Relativity for Kids: His Life and Ideas with 21 Experiments and Thought Experiments.

Kids of all ages will enjoy reading this book about Albert Einstein, both about his childhood and the important contributions he made to science. Complete with activities and experiments to bring Einstein’s theories and ideas to life, kids will be able to calculate the speed of light with a melted bar of chocolate, model a nuclear chain reaction using dominoes, demonstrate the expanding universe with a marshmallow peep, replicate a solar eclipse and much, much more.

 

 

Can We Save the Tiger?

Can we save the tiger and all other beautiful and extraordinary endangered species described in this new book? It’s not too late! This beautiful picture comes complete with artfully drawn illustrations both in colour and black and white,  introducing a wide range of endangered species that includes tigers, polar bears, American Bison, European crayfish and even New Zealand’s very own native bird, Kakapo, this book portrays the hash reality of  struggles these endangered animals face and points out ways that we may help.  Suitable for Children ages 5 to 8 years old and a excellent guide and resource to our world’s endangered species.

 

 

The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey the Movie Storybook.

Seen the movie? Now read and enjoy the movie book. Relive the story of The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey in this fantastic photo-filled book. Join Bilbo Baggins and the company of Dwarves battling against evil forces and their quest to recapture the lost Kingdom of Erebor. With this amazing retelling of the movie, you too can visit Middle Earth.

 

 

 

 

 

Penguins.

Did you know that penguins have dark feathers to absorb the sun’s heat and  mother penguins can lay one or two eggs at a time? All this information, complete with pictures and other amazing facts about penguins can be found in this new and exciting read from the series, Animals Are Amazing! You will read about all types penguins (noisy penguins, driving penguins, baby penguins and waddling penguins), including why penguins have wings and how they survive in the freezing cold.

 

 

 

So, You Want to be a Comic Book Artist? The Ultimate Guide on how to break into Comics?

So, you want to be a comic book artist? This hip, new guide presents a step by step guide to creating, publishing and marketing comic books, including developing compelling characters, approaching publishers, and adapting storylines for video games and movies. You will also find inspiration through profiles of young comics creators as well as world-famous artists who have worked on comics and cartoons such as X-Men, Superman, Batman, Spiderman and SpongeBob Squarepants.

 

 

 

The Animal Antics Joke Book.

Why are dogs such bad dancers? How to fleas get from one animal to another? Why was the cat scared of the tree? Find out the answers in this new, amazing joke book from the Laugh Out Loud series. This book is packed full of jokes about daffy dogs, kooky cats and peculiar parrots.

 

New Non Fiction for August

The holidays are over, but the new library books just keep on coming!

 

Here’s the newest non-fiction books:

 

It’s fun to draw monsters by Mark Bergin.

Love drawing? Love monsters? This is the book for you. An easy step by step guide to learning how to draw monsters with additional tips on illustrations and colouring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s fun to draw pirates by Mark Bergin.

Love drawing? Love pirates? This is the book for you. An easy step by step guide to learning how to draw monsters with additional tips on illustrations and colouring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

100 Great Scientists by John Farndon.

Read all about your favourite scientists including Leonardo DaVinci, Galileo Galilei, Issac Newton, Albert Einstein, Ernest Rutherford and how their science changed the world. A great book to read if you are doing science project and studying a famous scientist.

 

 

 

 

 

Millionaires by Clive Gifford

Read about all the famous millionaires around the world from Mark Zuckerberg (the creator of Facebook), Maddie Bradshaw (Snap Caps Inventor), Andrew Mason (Internet Entrepreneur) and even Oprah Winfrey (Talk show host and Media mogul) This book reveals everything you need to know about today’s most fascinating millionaires.

 

 

 

 

 

A first book of Nature by Nicola Davies, Illustrated by Mark Hearld

A beautifully illustrated book that captures the innocence and loveliness of nature throughout the seasons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taketakerau : The Millennium Tree by Marnie Asntis.

A recommended read! This book takes you through 2000 years of history in New Zealand and tells the story of a 2000 year old tree called Taketakerau – The Millennium Tree, an ancient puriri tree in the Hukutaia Domain, ten kilometres inland from Opotiki, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Great book to use for New Zealand History assignments.

 

 

 

 

 

Gorillas by Lori McManus.

Where do gorillas live? What do they eat? How intelligent are they? All the answers to these questions are found in this book. In addition to the answers, you will also find out lots of amazing facts about gorillas, see amazing pictures, including a picture of a pregnant gorilla and read about people who have worked with gorillas such as Dian Fossey and Francine ‘Penny’ Patterson. A great read from the ‘Living in the Wild: Primates’ series.

 

 

 

 

 

Orangutans by Buffy Silverman

Where do orangutans live? What do they eat? What threats do they face? All the answers to these questions are found in this book. In addition to the answers, you will also find out lots of amazing facts about orangutans, see amazing pictures and read about people who have worked with orangutans such as Birute Mary Galdikas and Ian Singleton. A great read from the ‘Living in the Wild: Primates’ series.

Drawing Monsters

If you like drawing and you love monsters then put the two together and you get the Monster Book of Drawing. This book is written by Marc McBride who you may know as the illustrator of the Deltora Quest books.

In this book he gives you some great instructions on how to create your own monster drawings from mythical creatures, dangerous beasts or maybe your own monster battles.

I really like the Dino-Warrior – he is part T-Rex and part dragon and also Hybrida Polyamonstorus a horrible monster plant that grows fast!  If you do have one growing in your garden, be very careful.
So have a go and create some of these monsters or maybe have a go at creating some of your own. The possibilities are endless.