world history – Kids' Blog

New Non Fiction: Prepare to go Bear Crazy, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” and brace yourself because the Doctor is in!

Katie30 June, 2014

The Doctor is in!

Boys and Girls, brace yourself because Wellington City Libraries two new Junior Non Fiction Books on Doctor Who and just in time… before the school holidays.

Doctor Who: Essential Guide to 50 Years of Doctor Who.
By reading this book, you learn all the fascinating facts on all eleven incarnations of the Doctor’s adventures in space and time, as well as his helpful companions and fearsome foes. Find out all about the Doctor’s TARDIS, his regenerations, and much, much more! Overall a great book that many fans of the series would enjoy, however might be suitable for ages 10 and up. If this book interests you, you might also want to check out Doctor Who: The Official Doctionary.

Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary.

This book presents an introduction to the popular science fiction television program, dsicussing its characters, plot lines, villains, gadgets, monsters, aliens, weaponry, and spaceships. Overall not a bad read. The style and presentation of this book is similar to Star Wars visual dictionaries. Another book that will be enjoyed by Doctor Who fans. If this book interests you, you might also want to check out Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary.

RSPCA Animal Care.

The RSPCA or the Royal Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the United Kingdom has published two new books on animal care.

image courtesy of syndetics All About… Cats and Kittens and All About… Rabbits and Other Small Animals

Overall I think these pet guides are fantastic. Would be ideal for children 9 years and over. Contains lots of information on how to care for rabbits/cats, helping it settle in, types of of behavior to grooming, playing, popular names for rabbits/cats, and going to the vet. Also contains some history of The RSPCA in the United Kingdom.
You also might want to check out Looking after Cats and Kittens and Looking after Rabbits.

FACT ABOUT CATS: While chocolate is bad for a cat, yogurt makes a tasty treat. According to Pet Smart NZ, the organisms in yogurt can be especially helpful when your pet is on antibiotics since these medications can alter the “good’ bacteria in the intestines. Most pets will enjoy the addition of a tablespoons of yogurt to their food.

FACT ABOUT RABBITS: Pet rabbits are related to the wild rabbits, hares and pikas. Hares are bigger than rabbits, with longer ears and stronger legs which enables them to run very fast, while pikas are smaller than rabbits and live in North America and Asia.

Bear Crazy…!

Kali’s Story: An Orphaned Polar Bear Rescue.

Brace yourself for cuteness and… an orphaned polar bear. This book tells the story of orphaned polar bear Kali (pronounced Cully) as he is rescued and whisked away to the Inupiat village of Kali (Point Lay in English), then being raised and reared at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, with zookeepers filling in for his mother and finally finding a permanent home at the Buffalo Zoo with, Luna, a female polar bear as a companion. Overall I enjoyed this book. Absolutely loved the photographs that chronicles Kali’s infant hood. I reckon this is a book that will be thoroughly enjoyed by all age groups and a fantastic addition to the junior non fiction collection just in time for the school holidays.

You will also like Vicks: The Polar Bear Cub and My Polar Animals Journal : In Search of Polar Bears, Penguins, Whales and Seals.

FACT ABOUT POLAR BEARS: Male polar bears pee down, while female polar bears pee straight behind them.

Wild About Bears.

Wild about bears? You will be after reading this book. This book contains facts and pictures of eight different bear species, ranging from polar bears, sun bears and sloth bears. You will learn everything there is to know about bears, including information about their traits, characteristics and habitat.

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

Brutal Games! History’s most dangerous sports.

Forget sports like Rugby, Gymnastics and Horse riding, this book on history’s most dangerous sports takes words like ‘dangerous’, ‘extreme sports’ and ‘life and death situations’ to a whole new level. After reading this book, two words come to mind: adrenaline rush. Facts about bull riding, cave diving, jousting and gladiator games, you will have all the information you need to release your inner daredevil.

If you like the Horrible Histories and Weird World of Wonders series, you might want to give these two new series a go.

Hard Nuts of History.

To kick things off, Check out Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, which is part of Hard Nuts of History series. Read all about history’s hardest hard nuts. Who were the most famous (and not so famous) ruthless, brave, fearless and intrepid men and women of all time? Could you fight in the greatest battle ever, or wow the whole world with your brain power?
These awesome books are bursting with remarkable tales of triumph and bravery. You will be amazed and astounded by some of history’s hardest heroes. The books have a similar tone as Horrible Histories and Weird World of Wonders series, comes complete with the silly bits, but perhaps without the gory bits. There is a lot less pages and the text is more simplified, so I think this series will appeal to younger audiences.

image courtesy of syndetics

What They Don’t Tell You About….

In the ‘What They Don’t Tell You About….’ series by Bob Fowke, there are books on Romans in Britain, Ancient Greeks and Vikings. If you are looking for another series to read after Horrible Histories, I would recommend the ”What They Don’t Tell You About….’ series. There is a lot of history, gory bits, silly humor and the odd puzzle in these books, so prepare for lots of reading… and laughing! Definitely no boring bits in this series. Great for anyone who is a fan of Horrible Histories and Weird World of Wonders. Also great for anyone who likes/is interested in History, comics, puzzle books and silly humor.

New Non Fiction: This Means War.

Katie7 March, 2014

Angry Birds Star Wars Character Encyclopedia.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…a group of desperate rebel birds faced off against the galactic menace: the Empire’s Evil Pigtroopers! Yep, the Angry Birds are back and now you can join them on an epic adventure in the legendary Star Wars Universe by reading this new character encyclopedia. Learn about cool characters like Red Skywalker, Peckme Amidla, Lard Vader and get the full low down on those dastardly pigs and very angry birds! Overall a great book to read if you are a fan of Angry Birds.

You might also like The World of Angry Birds Official Guide and Angry Birds Playground Animals.

Tony Robinson’s Weird World of Wonders: World War I.

In the mood for more weird worlds of wonders? Rest assured, you can always count on Tony Robinson to deliver. Read his latest book on World War I and find out all the action-packed facts like how to build a trench, what dogs were good messengers, how plastic surgery was invented and why you needed a gas mask. As always, Tony Robinson takes you on a headlong gallop through time, pointing out all the most important, funny, strange, amazing, entertaining, smelly and disgusting bits. This is the book that makes World War I history fun to read about.

The Story of the First World War.

Need information on World War I for a homework project? Check out The Story of the First World War by Paul Dowswell. Contains eye-witness accounts of some of World War One’s most important events, including how the war started, the strange Christmas truce of 1914, the epic naval battle of Jutland Stories and when the war ended in 1918. This book also comes complete with maps and line drawings and there are notes on sources and ideas for further reading. Gripping and engaging for readers who prefer real life to fiction.

New Non Fiction: Homework Help, Sweet treats for winter and Boredom Busters!

Katie4 June, 2013

One Day: Around the world in 24 hours.

This is a beautifully illustrated book that gives children an introduction to the idea of time and time zones. This book follows the story of 15 different children around the world and the time zones they live in throughout one day. There are 24 hours in a day, so there are 24 time zones. Discover and learn all about time zones around the world, how they work and what’s happening on one side of the world while the other side sleeps. This book is a great resource for homework help and assignments on time zones around the world.

Transport.

For anyone who wants to study and explore the history of cars, bicycles, scooters, trains and even an oil tanker, this is the book you must read! So hop on board and take an express journey through every vehicle and travel known to man and how each engineering milestone has changed and transformed world history. This book is a great resource for homework help and assignments on the history of transport, vehicles and even a section on the history of the wheel.

A troop of chimpanzees, and other primate groups.

How do chimpanzees use tools? Why do chimpanzees groom each other? What does it mean when one chimpanzee grins at another? Find out all the answers to these questions and more by reading this book on chimpanzees and primates. You will also discover and get to explores the behaviors and daily life of a chimpanzee troop, as well as their habitat, environmental threats, and the advantages of group living. Great for children of Primary and Intermediate school age.

Explorer Tales.

This is a great series to read if you are interested in finding information about famous landmarks and destinations. These are great homework resources to use for projects on world exploration. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay climbing to the Mount Everest, why not have a read of one of the books from the series, Mount Everest. Reread and relive how Hillary and Tenzing being the first men to climb one of the most dangerous places to explore. How about exploring New Worlds? Read all about them in New Worlds, where you will read and learn all about famous first voyages to new and undiscovered lands and famous explorers like Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo and Captain James Cook. In South Pole, readers don’t just learn about this cold and dangerous location. They also learn about the explorers who went to great lengths to discover it! I think you will also like reading all about The Amazon, which is home to many amazing plants, animals (Jaguars that wait ready to pounce and piranha fish fish that strip the flesh off your bones in five minutes – Wow!) and land forms that runs over 6,000 kilometers across South America. You will also read stories about people who have explored and survived in the Amazon.

100 yummy things to cook and eat.

With winter around the corner, why not make some tasty treats and goodies to share with your friends and family, like a good old fashioned apple crumble?, a spicy bean soup or vegetable casserole? You will find the recipes and more in this book. This cook book, published by Usborne has 100 yummy sweet and savory recipes to choose from for some good old comfort food during the cold, blizzardy days and nights. There are also a lot of fantastic baking ideas for school fairs and gifts. I liked the recipes for Oranges and Lemons and Chocolate dipped fruit. I am fan of the recipes for Marzipan toadstools and chocolate nests. This is a book that can be enjoyed by both children, parents and adults.

Look inside a burrow.

This is a great picture book for young children (or for parents and teachers to read to children) about creatures that interact within burrow habitats. You will read and learn about all the different types of burrows. (I must confess I wasn’t aware there was more than one type of burrow.) Lots of amazing pictures of various types of animals that live in burrows, including a photo of a toad flicking its tongue, a close up of ants carrying food back to its nest and an even bigger close up of a centipede’s face!

The Usborne Big Book of Holiday Things to make and do.

School holidays may be a while away, but still now is the time to think ahead of ideas of banishing boredom in the long school holidays. How about reading this book from the Usborne Activities series? You are bound to find ideas for seasonal activities for each holiday, such as reindeer wrapping paper and an Easter egg card, sit alongside things to make and do all year round including a coral necklace, a pirate cutlass and fairy wings. You will find easy to follow step-by-step instructions and photos for each activity. Great book to use for gift ideas .

New Non Fiction: Information Overload!

Katie24 May, 2013

Python For Kids.

This is the computer programming manual you must have! Python for kids introduces the basics of the Python programming language (not the snake), covering how to use data structures, organize and reuse code, draw shapes and patterns with turtle, and create games and animations with tkinter. The best thing about the manual is that the new terms are defined; code is colored, dissected, and explained and quirky, full-color illustrations keep things on the lighter side. Also comes complete with programming puzzles designed to stretch your brain and strengthen your understanding. Great resource for kids aged 10 years and over.

National Geographic Kids Infopedia 2013.

Check out this new and updated edition of National Geographic Kids Infopedia that promises you will have fun, get smarter and dares you to explore at the same time! This guide is packed with fun facts, games and incredible photos. Also find out fascinating information, like some frogs glow in the dark when they eat fireflies and Australia’s great barrier reef is the biggest living structure on earth.

Maths Puzzles and Games for ages 7 – 9.

Having trouble with your maths homework? This book is here to help kids ages 7 to 9 years do well and excel in maths. Enclosed with this book is a CD ROM with puzzles and games designed to get kids using their maths without even realizing it, addresses the need for children to learn number facts and develop their skills in using and applying mathematics.

Information Everywhere.

Want to see the world as you’ve never seen it before? If you’ve got a question, this book has the answer. This illustrated overview of the physical world uses infographics and provides facts and information on the connections between the Earth, people, power, and industry. Each page is crammed with up-to-the-minute facts, stats and graphics to give a fascinating snapshot of our planet and what makes it tick.

The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia.

This encyclopedia is a treasure-trove of human experience and the perfect research tool for all the family. Comes complete with illuminating photographs, lavish artwork and provides essential guidance that will replace hours of unguided web research. Great to use for history assignments and homework.

Moshi Monster Character Encyclopedia.

The Moshlings are back in this cool and exciting character encyclopedia! Read all about more that 200 of the wackiest, weirdest and cutest monsters you could ever imagine. You will also learn about each character and the gloopendous world they live in, along with monsterific facts. Great for anyone a fan of Pokemon and Digimon.

Meta