Tag Archives: Board books

New reviews: Illustrated non-fiction roundup!

Today on the blog I’m sharing some fantastic non-fiction titles to educate and entertain. From rainforest to engineering to the magic of sleep and Ancient Egypt, there’s something for everyone!!

Zoom Rainforest Adventure by Susan Hayes and Susanna Rumiz is a gorgeous new non-fiction board book adventure series that will inspire budding young adventurers! Bright colours and lively illustration bring to life the fact-filled text and make this an ideal way to engage youngsters in early reading. They’ll find out about the animals and birds that inhabit the rainforest and discover creep-crawlies galore. With die-cuts and pop-ups throughout, Zoom will inspire even the youngest of explorers! Published by What on Earth Books, with titles including Ocean Adventure, Space Adventure also available and Building Site Adventure and Farm Adventure coming this November.

Sticking with the theme of forests, enter a world of wonder on a woodland walk with Look What I Found in the Woods by Moira Butterfield and Jesus Verona. Young readers are invited to join in the fun with this lovely picture book, and see what they can spot in the woods too. Full of detailed illustrations showing just how much there is to see, with an engaging, rhyming narrative. There’s also nature notes that add extra guidance and I’m sure Look What I Found in the Woods will encourage families to put their wellies on and get hunting in the woods! Published by Nosy Crow in collaboration with the National Trust.

Enter a world of plants and learn all about nature from master forager and gardener, Alys Fowler in Grow, Forage and Make illustrated by Heidi Griffiths. A detailed guide with 30 activities to inspire family time in the garden and teach children how to forage and what to do with their wonderful finds. They’ll learn how to make wildflower seed paper and create art from leaf pounding, or make a parsnip pea-shooter and see the Wood Wide Web! There is so much to discover in nature and this lovely book with equally lovely illustrations will children and their families discover it in spades (!). Published by Bloomsbury in collaboration with Kew Gardens for children aged 9+.

For something more historical in flavour, there’s The Mystery of the Golden Pyramid by Adela Norean and Aaron Cushley. A beautifully produced lift-the-flap adventure, readers join Sophie as she sets out to save a King and solve the mystery, with the help of a talking dog. With action, excitement and humour throughout, this fantastical adventure will engage young readers AND fill their minds with knowledge of Ancient Egypt! Published by Little Tiger.

The Magic of Sleep – A Fascinating Guide to the World of Slumber by Vicky Woodgate is exactly that – a totally fascinating insight in to sleep, uncovering all the things you’ve ever wondered about – and much more you haven’t! From the scientific to the sensational, from myths to the beds we sleep on, animals to plants and of course, humans, it covers everything. With helpful chapters headings, informative illustrations and a delightful cat who accompanies each section, you will fall into the world of sleep with ease with this book! My niece picked this book up and proceeded to read it cover to cover – she particularly liked the dream journal and practical tips for sleep at the back of the book. Published by Dorling Kindersley

Cool Engineering by Jenny Jacoby and Jem Venn is a new title in the ‘Cool’ series that has eleven other titles covering every subject from architecture to maths to mythology. Cool Engineering follows the same appealing, simple and attractive graphic style with just the right amount of interest to engage readers aged 8 and above. It’s full of incredible information about the world of engineering, including biographies of key figures in engineering history such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and more recent, Elon Musk. From tools to transport, computers to biomedical inventions, there’s a whole world of fascinating facts to discover! Educational and engaging this is great book for reluctant readers and those who like to dip in and out of reading. Published by Pavilion.

Standing on Her Shoulders A Celebration of Women by Monica Clark-Robinson illustrated by Laura Freeman is a celebration of the strong women who influence us – from our mothers, sisters, aunts and grandmothers to the women who fought for equality and acceptance. Beautifully drawn, it reminds us of all the inspirational women who have gone before us – those we know and love personally, and those figures from history who deserve our recognition. It reminds us not to take our freedoms for granted and strive to protect them – and invites us to think about who might stand on our shoulders one day. Standing on Her Shoulders would make a lovely gift for the young girls in your life, one to be shared with all the family. Published by Scholastic.

With thanks to all the publishers for sending me these books to review.

New review: The British Museum Board Books – two new titles!

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I have long been a fan of this lovely series, Early Learning at the Museum, celebrating the wonder of the world for younger readers through pairing amazing objects from The British Museum and simple first words.  With two new titles published this summer, Around the World and Nature, there are even more opportunities to share fascinating artefacts with little ones and build their curiosity.

Around the World focuses on objects from different countries from Europe to Asia to Africa to the Americas.   Nature features beautiful photographic images that will engage inquisitive toddlers with early learning concepts. I found myself captivated by the incredible array of items, each bringing to life a unique culture and the wonder of the natural world.

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As with previous titles each book features a helpful index with explanations about the objects in the book and QR codes to help you find out more from The British Museum website.  I really think this is a lovely series to celebrate everything unique about culture and encourage families with very young children to take an interest in the world around them, through books they all can enjoy.

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Find out more at The British Museum and Nosy Crow.

With thanks to Nosy Crow for sending me these books to review!

Winter wonderland…20 sleeps till Christmas!

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With only twenty sleeps to go till Christmas Day, it’s really starting to feel festive! For the next few weeks in the run up to Christmas I’ll be featuring some gorgeous wintry and festive stories on the blog. Today we’re exploring some snowy landscapes!

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Up and Down: A Walk in the Countryside with Nosy Crow and The National Trust, beautifully illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw, takes young readers on a walk through a snow covered landscape introducing them to the idea of opposites.

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Two little walkers explore the woods and discover ‘up and down’, near and far and many other ‘opposites’, all the while enjoying getting close to nature.

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Young readers will love to spot the various animals who live in the woods and all manner of festive creatures. There’s even a snowman!  This is a great addition to the A Walk in the Countryside board book series and will have everyone wishing for snow!

Find out more at www.rosalindbeardshaw.com

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Another wintry landscape is stunningly brought to life in this beautiful exploration of winter; Little Hazelnut by Anne-Florence Lemasson and Dominique Ehrhard. I literally gasped when I opened this book – there’s something utterly magical about pop-up books.  Books like this make me love them even more! Little Hazelnut takes the reader on a journey with a variety of animals and birds venturing into the garden during winter.

Each page features a different animal pop up, with a charming narrative capturing the variety of life that appears in a garden in winter. The blue-tit is my favourite – just gorgeous! Simple but detailed, the artwork shows even the animals’ footprints as they navigate the snowy landscape. Little Hazelnut is an absolute delight and would make a lovely gift at Christmas time.

Find out more at Old Barn Books.

 

With thanks to Nosy Crow and Old Barn Books for sending me these books to review.

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New review: Early Learning with The British Museum and Nosy Crow

 

The partnership continues between The British Museum and Nosy Crow with three fantastic new books in their series of books for 0-12 year olds.  The British Museum is the country’s leading visitor attraction and the second most visited museum in the world.  The books draw on the British Museum’s unparalleled, vast and fascinating collection of objects and Nosy Crow’s expertise as the Independent Children’s publisher of the Year 2017, to create a collection of titles that represent and celebrate cultures from around the world!

Colours and Opposites are the two new titles in their board books series, where inquisitive toddlers can enjoy learning all the colours of the rainbow and contrasting opposites alongside seeing wonderful photographic images highlighting cultures from around the world.

There is a useful index in each book, detailing all the artefacts shown, giving little ones and grown-ups the chance to explore and learn more.

Featuring everything from illustrations by Beatrix Potter to a mask made of coconut from Bangladesh, I love the celebration of history and culture giving a wonderful opportunity to inspire even the youngest of minds. I also think older sibling’s, parents and carers will enjoy the tour through history!

Mixed-Up Masterpieces Funny Faces is a fun photographic mix-up book, featuring faces from the museum’s collection.  With puzzles to solve matching up the correct faces and then hours of fun mixing them all up again, there’s hundreds of hilarious combinations!

The faces used are incredible real masks from around the world, with an index at the back of the book telling you about each one. Again this is a book that will inspire curiosity in the many and varied cultures around the world and bring history to life – something all the family can enjoy.

Find out more at www.nosycrow.com and www.britishmuseum.org

Read my reviews of the first two books in the series here.

With thanks to Nosy Crow for sending me these books to review.

New Review: Early learning at the Museum

Nosy Crow and the British Museum are working in partnership to produce a range of books for children aged 0-12.  Early Learning at the Museum – ABC and 123 are among the first to be released, the idea being to encourage young children to engage with early learning concepts.

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A whole lot more than your average counting or alphabet book, these lovely board books celebrate the wonderful artefacts that can be found at the museum and indeed from around the world.

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As well as teaching children number sequences and letters and words, they show some of the amazing objects that make up the museum’s collections. The lovely colourful photographs celebrate many cultures introducing little ones to the idea of the similarities and differences we share.

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A helpful index at the back of the book shows where and when each item is from.  Children and adults alike can marvel at the wonders from around the world and learn even more by using the QR code at the back of the book to visit the website – or perhaps even plan a visit to the museum itself!  A great opportunity for early learning and encouraging curiosity, these are well worth adding to your little ones bookshelf.

Find out more www.nosycrow.com or visit the British Museum website. With thanks to Nosy Crow for sending me these lovely books to review.