New Non Fiction to read during November – Part two.

Hey kids!

Read new non fiction books on horrible histories, inspiring lives and much more!

Enjoy!

Barmy British Empire.

A humorous account of life and social conditions in colonies throughout the British Empire.

Bindi Irwin.

Bindi Irwin lives in a zoo! She presents on television about animals and conservation. Learn about how she overcame tregedy to find success!.

Joan Procter, dragon doctor : the woman who loved reptiles.

Looks at the inspiring story of Joan Procter, a pioneering female scientist who loved reptiles.

Inside the world of Roblox.

Presents an inside look at the Roblox world, introducing talented members of the community and providing insider information on the games.

Captain Aquaticas awesome ocean : amazing animals! wild waves! super sharks! the deep sea!

Take to the seas with marine conservationist and shark researcher Captain Aquatica and her hammerhead shark sidekick, Fin, to explore the ocean’s wettest and wildest depths and get the latest facts from the field!

Coding with Scratch.

Get ready to code with this easy-to-use book full of projects and tips to get kids programming. Each book in the Ready, Steady Code! series has 4 step-by-step projects with an introduction section (Ready), project preparation section (Steady), and the coding for the project section (Code!).

Planet Fashion.

Hold onto your hats and lace up your boots; we’re off on a fashion adventure! Travel through 25 scenes in fashion history, circling the globe with your two young stylish travel companions–one boy and one girl, dressed the part in every picture. Each lavishly illustrated scene captures the mood and style of a unique time and place, accompanied by a trove of fashion history facts.

5 New Animals Non Fiction: The Animal Planet Collection.

The Animal Planet collection invites you to go on a wild journey where you will meet awesome wild animals up close, see stunning photographs of animals in their natural habitat, learn how animals survive and thrive all around the world, and find out ways wild animals are just like us.

So what are you waiting for? Come on down to the library, and check out 5 books in the Animal Planet collection where young readers will discover nature.

Enjoy!

image courtesy of syndeticsWild Animals.

A fun and interactive guide to wild animals. Young readers will explore sections about animal bodies, baby animals, food, play time, conservation and more.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsBaby Animals.

Brace yourself for cuteness overload! This book describes animal babies and their developmental behaviors, discussing cats, otters, raccoons, snails, and kangaroos.

AWESOME FACT: Baby ferrets are called kits.

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsAnimals on the move.

Prepare to be amazed and spellbound when you see animals on the move that run, hop, slither, fly and climb in this amazing guide. Also detailed information about animals, such as frogs, worms, falcons, and cheetahs. Highly recommended!

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsOcean Animals.

Dive into the exciting world of ocean animals where you will meet amazing marine creature up close  and learn how they survive and thrive in the watery wild.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsPolar Animals.

Chill out with amazing polar animals in this amazing book where you will meet incredible polar animals up close and how they survive and thrive in the North and South pole. This also contains information about the physical characteristics, behavior, and habitat of polar animals, including king penguins, narwhals, and reindeer.

9 New Non Fiction: The Wonderful Worlds of Disney and Star Wars.

NEWS ALERT! Star Wars and Disney’s Polynesian Princess, Moana has taken over this blog post and… the junior non fiction collection! But hold the press, there’s another Disney (Latina) princess in town and amongst the junior non fiction collection in the guise of Elena of Avalor! – Another strong willed, caring, brave and determined princess and a long awaited role model for young girls! Also included are some trailers to movies that will be released later in the year.

Check out the following books and as always, Enjoy!:

image courtesy of syndeticsMoana: The Essential Guide.

Read this book and find out everything you need to know about the newest Disney heroine, Moana, and her companion, hero and trickster of Polynesian mythology Maui, on their incredible journey across the South Pacific. Discover the beautiful locations of Oceania, including breathtaking underworlds along with frightening sea creatures! This book is packed with stunning information and images of Moana’s quest and provides a fascinating, in-depth look at the most thrilling moments from the movie. Overall, I think this book serves as a wonderful companion alongside the movie. It is also a great learning tool to help young girls begin their path to finding themselves, as well as becoming emerging and strong leaders.

image courtesy of syndeticsThe World of Moana: A Guide to Motunui and Beyond.

Journey to the world of Moana where you will view lush tropical islands, encounter enormous sea creatures and read stories of legendary folklore. These are all part of an ancient Pacific world that is home to Moana. Explore Matunui, meet the people, learn the customs, and more in this official guide to Moana’s world.

image courtesy of syndeticsMoana Hairstyles and Looks.

Dive into the wonderfull rich and beautiful culture of Moana’s world, to recreate Moana’s style and look. You will find instructions for hairstyles and accessory crafts related to the Disney film. Hairstyles are shown in detail and photograhed on real-life girls.

image courtesy of syndeticsLearn to draw Disney Moana.

Presents step-by-step instructions for drawing characters from the movie Moana, including Moana, Maui, and other favorite characters.

image courtesy of syndeticsElena of Avalor: The Essential Guide.

Tagline from the TV Series: “Becoming a leader will be her greatest adventure.

Move over, Moana, there’s a new Disney Princess in town! Meet the caring and brave Princess Elena and everyone she loves in this fantastic essential guide. In this guide, you will learn about Avalor’s lively music and fascinating folklore. You will also get the chance to unleash your adventurous spirit and explore the kingdom of Avalor. Overall another fantastic book and great learning tool that will help young girls begin their path to finding themselves, as well as becoming emerging and strong leaders.

image courtesy of syndeticsCars 3 : the essential guide.

Describes the memorable and ever-popular characters, including race car Lightning McQueen, plus key locations, themes, and iconic moments from the movie.

Check out the trailer below:

For an extra treat, check out the trailer for upcoming Disney/Pixar, Coco. Despite his family’s generations-old ban on music, young Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead. After meeting a charming trickster named Hector the two new friends embark on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.

image courtesy of syndeticsStar Wars: Character Encyclopedia.

Go on a journey through the Star Wars galaxy, and learn all about its brave heroes and deadly villains. Meet a host of loathsome creatures, weird aliens, and loyal droids from the Star Wars saga.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsStar Wars: the Visual Dictionary.

Presents the Star Wars line of LEGO action figures and playsets, detailing a history of the toy line and how each playset connects to the events in the Star Wars films.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsStar Wars: Complete Vehicles.

For any fan who wants to explore the inner workings of the spaceships and vehicles of all six Star Wars movies, comes this fascinating expanded edition of a fan favourite, now with new cross-section artworks and a wealth of new photos.

 

Check out the trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

 

Seaweek 2017: Healthy seas, healthy people

We are already in the middle of February, and that means Seaweek 2017 is fast approaching! Seaweek will begin on Saturday 25 February, and run through until Sunday 5 March. Started in 1992 by The New Zealand Association for Environment Education, Seaweek is held in late February each year.

 

The purpose behind Seaweek is to grow an understanding of the importance of looking after our precious oceans, and to encourage people to get involved in local activities and initiatives. Protecting the sea is especially important in New Zealand, as we are totally surrounded by ocean and the fishing industry contributes greatly to our economy. Not to mention that lots of Kiwis enjoy fishing for sport and fun, as well as swimming during summertime. When we treat our oceans with care and respect, we also ensure that Kiwis in generations to come have the same opportunities that we do (this is called sustainability).

 

Seaweek is funded entirely through sponsorship and charitable donations. If you would like to lend a helping hand this Seaweek, there are lots of events happening around New Zealand that you can get involved in. Visit the Wellington region events page to find out more. You can also head on over to the catalogue to learn more about sea life and how to protect it.

 

So come on guys, let’s work together to keep our oceans safe and beautiful!

Image courtesy Oren Rozen – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44095424

 

Top 10 Children’s DVDs January 2017

So good to have a movie to watch while we deal with Wellington’s crazy summer weather! kuboSometimes playing in the rain can be lots of fun if you have on your Wellies and a dry towel for afterwards. We
have some great books for those of you that enjoy jumping in puddles 🙂  but back to the movies…

Kubo and the two strings is looking awesome! This movie has stop motion sorcery, tiny puppets moved little bit by little bit to create movie magic. This tale of a young Samurai adventurer facing ice age 5mythic odds will keep you on the edge of your seats! Have you tried making a flip book or using stop motion to create a bit of film?  Let us know in the comments 🙂

  1. My little pony, friendship is magic.
  2. Octonauts.
  3. Zootopia
  4. BFGFireman Sam.
  5. Finding Dory
  6. Peter Rabbit.
  7. The BFG
  8. Ice age.
  9. Kubo and the two strings.
  10. Chuggington

 

 

 

Top 10 Children’s non-fiction January 2017

Ocean dwelling creatures and literature make the grade this month.  The clever people at Te Papa can take you on a virtual journey to the deepest depths, the Abyssopelagic zone, this is even deeper than where they believe the colossal squid had it’s hunting grounds.
Anyone braved the sea out there this summer? Let us know in the comments if you found any cool sea creatures in your ocean exploring =)

  1. Minecraft annual 2017, by Stephanie Milton
  2. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, by Jack Thorne, John Tiffany and J. K. Rowling
  3. Minecraft : Redstone Handbook, by Nick Farwell
  4. Supershark and other creatures of the deep, by Derek Harvey
  5. The LEGO ideas book, by Daniel Lipkowitz
  6. Small scenes from a big galaxy, by Vesa Lehtimäki
  7. Minecraft hacks master builder, by Megan Miller
  8. Pokémon gotta catch ’em all, published by Scholastic
  9. Minecraft, by Matthew Needler and Phil Southam
  10. Picturepedia, edited by Ann Baggaley

Top 10 Children’s non-fiction December 2015

Minecraft dominates the non-fiction top picks this month!

Want to know what Minecraft authors do in their spare time? Author Megan Miller has some of her builds online. Matthew Needler and Phil Southam founders of  FyreUK has helped bring real life and gaming together by working with the United Nations’ block by block project. Public spaces in places such as Undugu playground in Kibera, Nairobi are added as a template in Minecraft for people to add their ideas as to how the space can be transformed.  These ideas are then used by local people to build in their community.  Cool huh? Built any playground replicas of your own? Let us know in the comments below.

1. Minecraft, by Stephanie Milton

2. The LEGO ideas book, by Daniel Lipkowitz

3. Minecraft, by Nick Farwell

4. Minecraft hacks master builder, by Megan Miller

5. Star Wars character encyclopedia, by Simon Beecroft

6. Star Wars, by David West Reynolds

7. Supershark and other creatures of the deep, by Derek Harvey

8. Minecraft blockopedia, by Alex Wiltshire

9. Minecraft, by Matthew Needler

10. Cat, by Juliet Clutton-Brock