Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

Maggie Li Books

Volcano Atlas

Non-fiction

Join us on a fiery tour of volcanoes around the world! Each ferocious volcano is brought to life with fact files and labelled diagrams.

In this follow-up to Space Atlas, Ocean Atlas, Dinosaur Atlas and Endangered Animals Atlas, readers will be taken on a journey around the globe and across the oceans, discovering the most spectacular, historic and unusual volcanoes and volcanic regions in the world.

Marvel at the eruption of Vesuvius that buried Pompeii, the lake of lava found at Erta Ale, the 450 volcanoes located in the Ring of Fire and the hidden power of the Yellowstone supervolcano, quietly waiting to erupt.

On this Amazing Adventure, readers will discover how volcanoes are formed, the most significant volcanic eruptions of the past, and the potentially destructive eruptions of the future.

So maybe you’ve wondered:

• How are volcanoes formed?
• What different types of volcanoes are there?
• What is the most destructive eruption that has ever happened?
• What is blue lava and how is it formed?

This expansive guide to volcanoes and volcanic eruptions answers all these questions and more as readers journey around the world and marvel at the power it holds. Make geography fun and support school learning by bringing explosive, volcanic excitement to their reading!

Dig, Dig, Dinosaur

Anjali Goswami & Maggie Li

Picturebook

Dig Dig Dinosaur is a clever book that shows children the skeleton of dinosaurs before giving more information about the prehistoric creature on the next page.

The book features a range of vocabulary linked to the topic with clear illustrations to help understanding. Peep-through holes on the pages add curiosity whilst reading. The final section with the fold-out pages adds an extra feature that children will love.

An added feature of this text is the ‘Stories Aloud’ aspect where you can scan the QR code for a free audio reading of the book.

This is a great book to explore fossil-hunting and knowledge about dinosaurs.

Big City Atlas

Maggie Li

Non-fiction

Close your eyes and you can probably imagine the cities of London, Paris and New York -but what about Buenos Aires or Singapore or Mumbai?
With a globetrotting penguin as our guide, in The Big City Atlas we embark on a world tour to 28 different cities. With each city offering something completely new, whether it be showing the local cuisine, traditions or landmarks, readers are given a taste of what life might be like there. As a geography-enthusiast and fan of maps in general, this book appealed to me from the outset. The wealth of information included on each page paired with the bold and colourful designs make for such an enjoyable read. I was also drawn in as this book focuses solely on cities within countries rather than the countries as a whole…

Meet the Microbes

Dr Emily Grossman & Maggie Li

Non-fiction, Picturebook

Meet the Microbes is a captivating insight into the tiny creatures that live under our noses and have a massive impact on our lives despite only being visible through a powerful microscope. Through the colourful and lively pages, children will meet a succession of cartoon microbes and learn all about them. They will learn about where they can be found and how they multiply; how they survive in the most extreme of conditions; the jobs that they do and how they might be beneficial to our future.

By the end of the book, they will have reached an understanding that microbes can be both good and bad for our bodies and how we can avoid spreading the less desirable ones. They will be fascinated to find out that mould is formed from microbes and that some of their favourite foods such as yoghurt, fluffy bread and cheese would not exist without them. The language is accessible to younger readers and concepts are explained clearly.

This book would be an excellent accompaniment to science topics on human bodies or just a great addition to the non-fiction, reading for pleasure offer in the school library.

What do Scientists Do All Day?

Jane Wilsher & Maggie Li

Non-fiction, Picturebook

What do scientists do all day? Find out in this beautifully illustrated book that features more than 100 scientists at work. Little ones can explore 14 different colourful scenes, turning the page after each to learn about eight special scientists you will find there.

Spot the scientists and learn about the jobs they do in these fascinating places: nature reserve, health center, Arctic research station, hospital, museum, our new city, mission control and on the space station, observatory, aerospace center, botanical gardens, Earth Science center, energy plant, university, and technology and computer lab.

Meet the environmentalist at the nature reserve, the nurse at the hospital, the archaeologist at the museum, the navigation engineer at mission control, the astronomer at the observatory, the fungi specialist at the botanical gardens… you’ll be amazed at the range of things scientists work on.