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Topic: Top-Notch Non-Fiction

Non-fiction

Heard about the fish that clean shark teeth? Or the frog that lives with a tarantula? Welcome to the weird world of symbiosis – where animals form incredible relationships.

Macken Murphy introduces his favourite symbiotic relationships in his first kids’ non-fiction book. Along the way he explains the cool science behind the baffling behaviour of some animals – from friendly alliances to pesky parasites.

You’ll even find out about symbiotic relationships including YOU! (Hint – is your head ever itchy?) By the end of the book you won’t look at nature in the same way again!

Non-fiction

This incredible guide to the Moon takes 7 to 9 year olds through its past, present, and future through stunning illustrations, photographs, and fascinating information.

The perfect introduction to the Earth’s closest neighbour for young readers, The Book of the Moon covers the entire subject in thrilling detail. It explains the Moon’s geography, its phases, NASA’s Apollo missions, the Moon’s effect on Earth, recent scientific discoveries, and much more. Packed with eye-popping facts, this is the perfect book for space lovers.

Beautiful illustrations by artist Dawn Cooper combine with up-to-date images from space agencies to help demystify and explain the wonder of the Moon to young readers.

Non-fiction

Unwrap the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mummies in this fascinating gift book from the British Museum

What is a mummy? How exactly were they made? And is there really such a thing as a mummy’s curse? Find out the answers to these questions and many more, in this gruesome guide to the mummification process. Filled with grisly detail, you’ll uncover secrets of the embalmers, tales of the tomb robbers and even what happened when pets were mummified! Meet some famous mummies from around the world, from Tutankhamun to the ‘unlucky mummy’, and find out what happened when archaeologists discovered mummies thousands of years after they were buried . . .

With a glorious gold foil cover and quirky colour illustrations on every page, children aged 7+ will enjoy learning lots more about mummies!

Non-fiction

Journey through India and explore its incredible diversity in this richly illustrated book, with words from a Costa-winning author.

Written by award-winning author Jasbinder Bilan with detailed artwork by Nina Chakrabarti, this is a joyful celebration of India and its incredible people, places and wildlife. Watch elephants bathing from a houseboat in Kerala, marvel at ancient cave paintings in Bhimbetka, wander through Delhi’s bustling streets, and ride a train through the snow-capped peaks of the Himalaya. Uncover India’s fascinating history and culture, and explore the unique mix of the traditional and modern that makes India the incredible country it is today.

Non-fiction

Share in the wonderment of science with a crew of crazy cats and measure your amazement, awe and disgust alongside their furry feline faces!

Like every topic, science becomes more interesting when cats are involved. Cats React to Science Facts is an engaging and fun way to understand the world of science. It’s just purrfect! A vast cast of feline friends take us on a tour of the core areas of science from outer space and the human body, to forces and materials. Bitesize text, fun photos, diagrams, dollops of humour and a react-o-meter all help to make science memorable and fun to learn.

This book is a great gift for cat lovers and science students aged 7 and beyond, covering key science topics in a unique way.

Non-fiction

Famous German illustrator Dieter Braun offers his readers an accurate representation of animals from all around the world in this gorgeously illustrated volume.

Our world is full of wonderful animals. From the brightly coloured mandrills in the rainforests of Africa to the majestic humpback whales in the icy waters of the Antarctic. Through his beautiful and colourful illustrations, readers will be dazzled by the giraffes and elephants in Africa, koalas and kangaroos in Australia, huge blue whales in the open oceans, and many more! These animals, some endangered, remind us that nature is incredible, and that we need its diversity more than ever.

Non-fiction

With a foreword by England captain Steph Houghton, She Shoots, She Scores!tells the incredible story of the BEST sport in the world, women’s football – from the men who tried to ban it to the superstars of today’s game, including Lucy Bronze, Sam Kerr and Alex Morgan. Young footie fans can find out about . . .

– The girl who had to play football in secret but grew up into a goal scoring legend
– The thirteen-year-old who shot to international fame but didn’t get a mention in school assembly
– The greatest women’s footballer ever, who scored in FIVE World Cups

Written by acclaimed YA novelist Catriona Clarke, the book is packed with facts and stats about the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Olympics, plus pocket profiles of the world’s top players – from Marta to Megan Rapinoe – and record-breaking teams, including the US national women’s team and Olympique Lyonnais. What’s more, discover the key skills you’ll need to become a great goalkeeper, a tough-tackling defender or the world’s next superstar striker!

Non-fiction

Some people just can’t resist showing off… and this BIG book introduces readers to some of the biggest braggers and loudest show-offs throughout history.

This book takes young readers on a tour of some of history’s greatest show-offs, from wealthy kings and queens who loved to splash the cash to masterful musicians who weren’t shy about their talents or brilliant artists who could not stop telling others how great they were.

Some of the showoffs in this book include:

  • Queen Marie Antoinette of France, who arrived for her wedding with 57 carriages pulled by 376 horses,
  • Alexander the Great, who named more than 70 cities in his vast empire after himself,… and one after his horse!
  • The Montgolfier brothers, who showed off their flashy new invention, the hot air balloon, in front of huge crowds and even the King and Queen!

Andy Seed’s hilarious text brings these crazy but true stories to life, as he tells readers tales about massive palaces, fast cars, monster banquets, immense armies, frilly outfits, dazzling bling, musical masterpieces, epic artworks, outrageous inventions and much, much more!

Featuring long-dead leaders, artists, musicians and more, from all around the world, the snappy facts are paired with humorous character illustrations from the brilliant Sam Caldwell for maximum hilarity.

Non-fiction

When do you eat ‘bread of the dead’, or walk barefoot across red-hot coals? When might you dress up as a demon in a hairy suit and huge horned headdress? What are you celebrating if you climb an 18-metre-high tower made out of buns?

Includes a stunning central gatefold that opens out to reveal a calendar of all the festivals featured in the book. This is a visual celebration of festivals from across the globe, from the more familiar to those you might never have heard of before. Discover more about Junkanoo in the Bahamas, Juneteenth in the United States, Matariki in New Zealand and Poland’s Great Dragon Parade. As you journey around the world, explore celebrations of food and drink, nature, culture, religion and history, plus ways to mark the passing of the year.

Non-fiction

Join brilliant young naturalist Dara McAnulty – winner of the 2020 Wainwright Prize for his book Diary of a Young Naturalist and author of Wild Child! – on a journey through a year in the life of birds. A Wild Child’s Book of Birds is a fantastic nature book, illustrated in full colour by Barry Falls.

This beautiful, informative book takes you through a year in the life of the birds you will find in Britain and Ireland and is divided into four sensational seasonal sections. Find out what birds do in each season, learn about birdsong, beaks, nests and eggs, the science of flight, migration, what to grow to attract different birds to your garden and what foods to put out on your bird table. Learn about different ways of recording what you see and about birds in literature. There are sections on birds of prey and corvids too.

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