Children's Non-fiction Recent Picks

May 2011

The underlined title links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

Passing and dribbling / James Nixon ; photography by Bobby Humphrey.
"How do you play a defence-splitting pass? What is shielding the ball? How do stepovers help you dribble past a player. Learn how to keep possession of the ball and become a midfield maestro. This book shows you how to improve your skills such as ball control, long passing, team play, dribbling tricks and much more!" (Cover) Other titles in this series: Shooting and Scoring, Defending and Goalkeeping and Rules of the Game.

Who invented the motor car? / Brian Williams.
"Who invented the motor car? looks back at the history of the motor car. Follow the journey of this ground breaking invention." (Cover) Other titles in this series: Who Split the Atom? Who Invented the Computer? Who Discovered DNA? Who Discovered Natural Selection? Who Invented the Periodic Table?

Magic up your sleeve: amazing illusions, tricks, and science facts you'll never believe / Helaine Becker; illustrated by Claudia Davila.
"Unleash the magician within. Learn how to perform step-by-step tricks with common household items and get the scoop on how to stage a magic show that’ll leave audiences amazed and astounded." (Book cover)

Marco Polo / written and illustrated by Demi.
"Inspired by the Eastern culture of the thirteenth century Demi recounts the remarkable tale of Marco Polo's journey. Her illustrations use a mixture of Chinese and Indian embroidery and Italian, Arabian, and Persian designs of gold and ink on silk." (Book cover)

Putting your carbon foot in it!: all about environmental meltdown - and what you can do about it! / written by Paul Mason ; illustrated by Mike Gordon.
"Our planet is heating up and it's up to you to save it. This light-hearted guide sets out the facts about climate change and offers practical tips and ideas for how to reduce your carbon footprint and help save the earth!" (Book cover)

The taniwha of Wellington Harbour / Moira Wairama; illustrated by Bruce Potter.
"Retelling of the legend of how Wellington Harbour was created. In ancient times in Aotearoa, there was a beautiful lake in which there dwelt two monstrous taniwha. Their names were Whataitai and Ngake. Ngake gets bored however and decides to break free into the ocean. His actions have far reaching consequences and help shape the landscape of our capital city. Also available in Te Reo Maori." (Book cover)

Saving tigers / Carla Litchfield.
"Tigers are the largest cats in the world. All tiger subspecies are endangered, with fewer than 3200 adults left in the wild. Find out more about them and what is being done to save them in this great book. Includes websites for further study." (staff member)

Children of God / retold by Desmond Tutu; edited by Douglas C. Abrams.
"The Bible is not an ordinary book. It has changed and inspired many people, including Archbishop Desmond tutu. In the pages of this beautiful book, he retells the story of the bible in his own words for all children around the world. Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his lifelong struggle to bring equality, justice and peace to his native country of South Africa. He is revered throughout the world as one of the great moral and religious teachers of our time." (Book cover)

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