Non-Fiction November 2025 Booklist

A Day in the Life of Fossils, Fire and Other Fantastic Finds gives a sweeping journey through the history of discovery in comic book form.

The subjects are wildly and wonderfully diverse in scope and scale. As the introduction states, you can jump in anywhere. Each page tells its own story of a discovery. As with the previous titles in the A Day in the Life series (such as A Day in the Life of an Astronaut, Mars and the Distant Stars and A Day in the Life of a Poo, A Gnu and You), this book stretches the brain in many directions. The examples are drawn from across the sciences, geography and history, and the appealing short-form bursts of information are great for opening windows to new potential interests.

The comic strip format blends well with the jokes that break up the facts. It’s fun and informative, and would be great for social reading times.

Stunning watercolour images bring Antarctica to life whilst bite-sized information gives children a feel for what it would feel like to stay in Antarctica as a research scientist.

Find out about what clothes to wear, what the research stations are like, the transportation, different types of icebergs and glaciers, the types of research that take place, how the scientists relax in their downtime, the food they eat, the species of animals you will find there, fossils, famous Antarctic explorers and much, much more.

A perfect read for any pupils learning about the coldest place on earth, animals and their habitats or climate change.

The story begins with a small, green dung beetle on a fresh pile of soft elephant poo. From here we see her form a small ball of poo which she seeks a mate to help her roll. Together they roll it to a soft patch of earth where they bury it. She lays an egg in the middle of the soft ball of poo. Then they start again until there are several buried balls of poo, each with an egg inside. The book then follows the life cycle of the dung beetle through all the stages until it hatches and then repeats the cycle itself.

This book is jam-packed with facts and information not just about the dung beetle but about the African Savannah and the animals who live there. The illustrations are beautiful with lots of elements for children to spot, aided by an eye-spy on the large, fold-out page at the end. The fold-out page also includes a map showing the distribution of dung beetles around the world and illustrates clearly the life-cycle of the beetle.

This book would be a beautiful addition to any classroom or school library. Valuable both as a reading for pleasure book as well as when teaching about Africa, animal life-cycles or food chains.

Wish Upon a Star gives the reader a vibrantly illustrated insight into our galaxy and beyond. The book looks at stars from a scientific, historical and cultural perspective, allowing the reader to understand the importance of stars across all aspects of our lives on Earth.

Each double-page spread has a different focus and is beautifully illustrated, with short, age-appropriate captions which support the reader in building their vocabulary around the subject.

The early pages of the book have a scientific focus, with pages which look at ‘Galaxies’ and ‘When a Star Dies’. These pages balance easy-to-read insights with some useful topic vocabulary. The book tends to keep the information given fairly brief, giving opportunity for further investigation and research if needed.

The latter pages of the book consider how stars are central to the traditional tales across many different cultures, with insight into Chinese, Maori and the Anishinaabek communities, amongst others.

It is ideal as a core text for topic work around the Earth and Space and would be perfect for Key Stage Two classrooms.

The underpinning idea is that an imaginary time capsule has been buried by a Roman child and dug up in the reader’s garden. By taking objects as a starting point, Hughes can roughly mirror the processes followed by archaeologists. The book encourages children to think about sources in a critical way, rather than accepting facts on trust.

The objects themselves are carefully chosen to enable explanations of different aspects of the Roman world and explore connections and differences between then and now. A typical chapter on an incense burner explains how the tree resin was harvested, traded and used by the Romans (they thought it helped them to communicate with the gods). There’s a little bit of etymology, and then links are made to other (much less fragrant) Roman smells and the use of incense today.

Bettany Hughes has deep knowledge of the ancient world, and there is a richness of information here that is often missing from other books about the Romans aimed at this age group.

The book is designed to be accessible, with black and white illustrations and typographical effects breaking up the text. The tone is generally chatty, with liberal use of the first and second person, questions and exclamations. It would be an excellent Romans-themed addition to the class library.

This is an impressive and visually striking large hardback book that offers a wonderfully hands-on way for children to explore the Viking world.

The book covers a broad range of Viking life, from long-distance travel and exploration to myths, daily routines, superstitions and famous warriors. The questions it raises, such as how Vikings reached places as far apart as modern-day Canada and Baghdad, or why berserkers were known for their ferocity, are pitched for KS1 and KS2 children.

The book also offers opportunities for cross-curricular links with geography, as readers trace Viking trade routes and voyages. All in all, it’s a beautifully produced, highly engaging and full of fascinating facts and manageable chunks of history learning.

The Secret Lives of Women Spies by Charlotte Philby is a captivating read that brings to light the remarkable stories of female spies throughout history. The book features a series of short stories about real-life women spies, including figures like Edith Cavell, Elizebeth Friedman and Noor Inayat Khan.

Each story is accompanied by imagined newspaper articles and “top-secret” information, adding depth and context to the narratives. The illustrations further enrich the content, making it visually appealing and accessible to young readers. From an educational perspective, this book is a treasure trove of information. It sheds light on the courage and ingenuity of these women and also provides a platform for discussions on gender roles, history and the importance of diverse perspectives in shaping our understanding of the past.

The inclusion of a glossary and reference tools enhances its use as a research resource. For upper primary and early secondary students, The Secret Lives of Women Spies is perfect for sharing untold stories, enriching history knowledge and encouraging deeper thinking about gender in the world of espionage.

‘If you need space for…comfy places to read; listening to stories; finding out about the world…what building do you need?’ This is just how What’s That Building? by Rebecca Donnelly is constructed. Each double-page spread is a guessing game for readers: put together the clues using the pictures and work out what the building is, then turn the page and all is revealed, along with a detailed explanation of what the building has inside it, what it’s made of, and why.

With each new building the reader finds themself immersed in a mini world full of life depicted in the detailed illustrations by Jocelyn Cho. A museum jammed packed with exhibits; a planetarium full of possibility; a school teaming with children – each building has its own structure and design, perfect for the job in hand. An added mystery element is the ‘hidden’ architect on each page: similar to a Where’s Wally search, every building houses its own architect-in-situ – scan the pages to find her!

Written, designed and illustrated by an all-female crew, this book is a refreshing take on picture books about buildings and building designs. Each building is packed with unusual characters too – spot the penguin pilot and the teddy bear traveller at the airport, for example. Modern and inclusive, this large, hardback non-fiction book deserves a place in every classroom.

The characters in this book are a celebration of girls in STEM, with the focus being on inventors. The main character Lizzy, has lost her hamster, Gizmo, and she goes through the process of creating and adapting an invention to find him. Lizzy, has cochlear implants and the supporting character, Lizzy’s babysitter and neighbour, has bionic hands. Information is included on these, as well as information on diabetes and heart surgery.

Many girls and women are celebrated for their inventions, and it is wonderful that young inventors are also included. Science is interwoven throughout, and every reader will come away learning something new. The illustrations are very busy, and there is a lot to see. It is best suited to readers who prefer to have lots to look at, with text presented in different ways.

The author’s note at the back of the book explains why the inventors in the books were chosen, and the important message that everyone, no matter their age, disability or gender, has ideas that matter. This book is a delightful addition to Kate Pankhurst’s Great Women books – a must-have for inspiring more children into STEM.