Children's Non-fiction Recent Picks

September 2009

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Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot, by Sarah Ridley.
"Find out about the lives of some of the most important people in history. From nurses and kings to great leaders and rebels, this series is a perfect introduction to the men and women that have helped to shape our world." (Book Cover) Others in the History Makers series: Anne Frank and her diary, Winston Churchill and the Second World War, Mary Seacole and the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale and a new age of nursing, Nelson Mandela and his struggle for freedom, Martin Luther King and the fight for equality, Henry VIII and six wives.

Stuff that scares your pants off!: the Science Museum book of scary things (and ways to avoid them), by Glenn Murphy; illustrated by Mike Phillips.
"What scares you most? Spiders or Sharks? Ghosts or aliens? Dentists or darkness? This amazing book takes apart your deepest, darkest fears. With a bit of biology, a spot of psychology and oodles of lovely facts and figures, you’ll learn everything there is to know about the stuff that scares your pants off." (Book Cover)

Mathmagicians, by Johnny Ball.
"How can you weigh your head without chopping it off? What makes pi one of the weirdest numbers in the world? Why do most people have more than the average number of feet? From ancient times to the modern day, maths has enabled humankind to farm the land, explore the planet, construct spectacular buildings, and figure out how the Universe works. This fascinating story of numbers and measurements shows how people unravelled the hidden mathematical patterns behind everything and discover how maths makes the world go round." (Book Cover)

The ancient Egyptians: dress, eat, write and play just like the Egyptians, by Fiona Macdonald.
"Step into the world of the Ancient Egyptians! Wear your own beaded collar, challenge a friend to the ancient game of senet, make papyrus paper, learn to write in hieroglyphs, measure time with a water clock and paint a life-size pharaoh. Each book in QED's Hands-on History series combines informative text with brilliant hands-on projects that bring history to life." (Book Cover). Others in the QED's Hands-on History series are: Aztecs: dress, eat, write and play just like the Aztecs; Romans: dress, eat, write and play just like the Romans; Vikings: dress, eat, write and play just like the Vikings; Ancient Chinese: dress, eat, write and play just like the Chinese; Celts: dress, eat, write and play just like the Celts.

John Burningham, by John Burningham.
"John Burningham is a celebration of an extraordinary life in illustration. It traces the development of the artist from early childhood drawings and experiences through to the publication of John's first book for children, Borka, the Adventures of a Goose with no Feathers, in 1963. Borka, and the books that followed, have redefined their genre. The unforgettable characters and stories have entranced children all over the world for four decades." (Book Jacket)

Barack Obama, by Sophie Schrey.
"Barack Obama became the first African-American US President in 2009. Born in 1961, he lived in Hawaii and Indonesia as a child. After becoming a lawyer, Barack entered politics, inspiring many with his speeches. This is his story." The books in this series tell the life stories of famous people from past and present, and are ideal first biographies for young readers. Others in the Start-Up English Biographies series are: Mary Seacole, Martin Luther King, Roald Dahl and Dick King-Smith.

How to draw monster battles, by Marc McBride.
"Learn from the master of fantasy illustration, Marc McBride, as he shows you how to create monsters of all shapes and sizes! From the creatures of the deep, to the winged terrors of the air and the fearsome earth-dwellers in between, learn step-by-step how to capture them on paper. Anything is possible in the fantastic world of monster and imagination." (Book Cover)

Fun to draw crazy aliens, by Robert Ainsworth.
"Search space for your old pencil and it hover over the page as you learn to draw all kinds of crazy aliens! Use your imagination to invent unique aliens based on Out-Of-This-World ideas!" (Book Cover) Others in this Fun to draw series: Fun to draw Mini Beasts; Fun to draw animals and Fun to draw cars & planes and other things that go!

Wow! Earth, by John Woodward.
"It's a book about the earth... but it's unlike any you've seen before. Wow! Earth is crammed full of incredible stuff to dip into, from magnificent meteorites to cool caves, crystals, and coral reefs, all revealed in a fascinating, exciting, totally different way: it's like a museum, a search engine, and the world's most exciting geography field trip rolled into one!" (Book cover)

Wow! Animal, by Richard Walker.
"It's a book about animals... but it's unlike any you've seen before. Wow! Animal is crammed full of incredible stuff to dip into, from cool crustaceans to amazing arachnids, all revealed in a fascinating, exciting, totally different way: it's like a natural history museum, a search engine, and the world's biggest zoo all rolled into one!" (Book cover)

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