8+: Plague, Pox and Pestilence - John Kelly and Richard Platt

Release Date: 17/10/11

BOOK BLURB:

*A comprehensive history of disease and pestilence, told from the point of view of the bugs and pests that cause them. The book features case histories of specific epidemics, eyewitness' accounts from the rats, flies, ticks and creepy-crawlies who spread diseases, plus plenty of fascinating facts and figures on the biggest and worst afflictions. Illustrated throughout with brilliantly entertaining artworks and endearing characters, you'll be entertained by a cabinet war room showing the war on germs, a rogues' gallery highlighting the worst offenders, the very deadliest diseases examined under the microscope and much more.


REVIEW:

I love a book that is vibrant, has great colours and looks, on first glance that it’s going to get the information over to the reader in a simple, easy to comprehend manner that will entertain as well as educate. Sadly this title from Kingfisher fails as on a closer examination there are a great many problems.

My first major gripe is that the images take over and detract from the text boxes (that had they been highlighted in a separate colour would have helped them to stand out) which in the long run will take the reader a great many views to make their way through and can end up with them becoming lost amongst the towers of data quite easily.

Add to this the text feels too adult orientated (almost as if it was written for the Discovery Channel) which when added to the language felt that it was aimed at an older audience than the 8 year old market which whilst interesting for me, felt that it would end up relegated to the back of a shelf by any child who received it as they will quickly lose interest.

All, this book sadly falls flat on so many levels and I suspect that had I put it together I’d have taken the approach, of looking at a great many successful books like Horrible Histories (written by Terry Deary) or the entertaining writing of Mitchell Symons which keeps the interest as well as passing the information in a fun as well as educative way without coming across as condescending. Finally add to that some diseases mentioned within could give nightmares and it’s a title that really should have been better planned.

10+: The Encyclopedia of the Unexplained - Judy Allen

Release Date: 15/08/11

BOOK BLURB:

This encyclopedia is a guide to curious phenomena, strange superstitions and ancient mysteries. Within its pages there are ghosts of sea and land, disappearances and lost empires, water monsters and King Arthur, UFOs and superstitions, fireballs, frog showers, crop circles and missing treasure. As the introduction says: The world is such an extraordinary and complicated place that it's very unlikely we will ever solve every puzzle, break every code and understand every awesome phenomena. But we can - and will - go on trying, and any one of us may discover the key to something that has been lost, or hidden, or misunderstood for thousands of years.


REVIEW:

In a world where we like everything to be explained in simplistic scientific terms there are times when even the current development of the world is confounded and as such it’s a wonderful chance for the reader to learn that magic can and does exist in certain areas.

As such this compendium of the weird, unusual as well as unexplained by Judy Allen comes into its own with its wonderful illustrations, great threads and of course all written in an easy to comprehend language that doesn’t talk down to the reader. It’s concise; it has great themes and overall made this a wonderful read for an adult.

Add to this a wide range of subjects from numbers to Stonehenge, from Pyramids to Levitation (each subject covered by a double page spread) and it was a book that was a lot of fun. All in I was very happy with this title and when new facts are presented to things you’ve never heard before, the trivia aspect is also a sheer delight (such as finding out about the origin of Foo Fighters.) Great fun for all.

5+: I Can Write: On the Farm, On Holiday - Simon Abbott

Release Date: 16/05/11

BOOK BLURB:

Child-friendly 'wipe-clean' spreads allow children to recognise and practise writing first words. Each book features six scenes containing between four and six everyday words. The special pen and wipe-clean element allow children to first copy and then write each word, again and again. The colourful design treatment makes these interactive books highly appealing.





REVIEW:

After learning to draw, learning to write is perhaps the second best gift a child can learn and as such these titles from Simon Abbott will help them learn all about their letters and word association. They’re colourful, they’re reuseable and above all else they have a pen that can be used to wipe and rewrite the worlds until the lettering becomes second nature.

Add to this a light fun way to learn and these books are a real gift for all concerned. The only thing that I’ll say to make sure is that you hide the pen when not in use otherwise you may have to learn to be handy with the paint brush.

3+: I Can Draw: Playtime/I Can Draw: At the Sea - Simon Abott

Release Date: 21/03/11

BOOK BLURB:

I Can Draw: Playtime/At the Sea gives children the confidence to learn to draw their favourite playthings. Starting from a simple shape, each step adds a little extra until the picture is complete.

REVIEW:

Whilst I never really learned to draw until later in life, I absolutely love this series by Simon Abbott that gives the young user the chance to learn to draw at an early age. It’s a cleverly designed book and one that will more than appeal to children and adults alike.

So far with this series I’ve had a lot of fun learning how to draw bugs, wild animals, seaside items as well as a whole host of useful Pets and things at the Farm with my oldest nephew. This series is one that I can’t give enough praise to as it has so much to offer. The only thing I would recommend is to hide the pen when not in use as otherwise you may well end up with a few new drawings on walls that you didn’t expect.

3+: I Can Write: At Home, I Can Write: At School, I Can Count - Simon Abbott

BOOK BLURB:

Child-friendly 'wipe-clean' spreads allow children to recognise and practise writing first words. Each book features six scenes containing between four and six everyday words. The special pen and wipe-clean element allow children to first copy and then write each word, again and again. The colourful design treatment makes these interactive books highly appealing.








REVIEW:

With reading and writing becoming more and more important these days, finding ways to help your child learn is not only beyond most peoples understanding but something that they feel is best left to schools. A sad fact as studies have shown that the younger a child is introduced to writing (and reading) the higher they are likely to achieve with their lifetime goals.

Here Simon Abbott (author of the How to Draw series) brings his talents to help children learn letters and numbers. All three of these books come with an erasable pen, some wonderful images and above all the ability to help your child learn the skills that they’ll soon require. They’re well done, they’re beautifully drawn and above all else its something that children will just love to learn each of the skills.




Perhaps the best test to date is how I introduced these to my nephew. After carefully going through what was what, he was soon learning numbers. Whilst he could already count, he wasn’t sure on how the numbers looked on paper, so the ability to count on his own and learn which number looks like what (along with learning the words that go with various items in his home) gave him a real sense of accomplishment with each word that he learns. Make education fun time in your home and help your child learn skills that will last a lifetime. What price can you put on that?