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One Day By the Numbers

One Day By the Numbers

One Day By the Numbers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Day By the Numbers

Steve Jenkins

Clarion, 2022

40pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

 9780358470113

What happens around in the world in twenty-four hours? This is another  amazing book of infographics from author-illustrator Steve Jenkins as he shares lots of amazing facts and  figures, summarised in pictures, charts and graphs in this new book perfect for curious kids.

Some of you may have seen the photos I shared of an intrigued young friend who started reading at 3.30pm and was still going at 7.30pm when I gave him 100 Things to Know About the Unknown recently, and this is definitely another one that will keep him entranced, as it will all our other young readers who have a penchant for non fiction and being enticed down rabbit holes as they strive to find out more about what has captured them.

The perfect evidence for why we need a vibrant non fiction collection.

The perfect evidence for why we need a vibrant non fiction collection.

In this latest addition to the By the Numbers series, readers can explore what happens around the world with humans, animals, and even microorganisms in just twenty-four hours. From how much humans eat and how far migrating animals travel in day to how often lightning strikes. readers travel beyond the clock and into what twenty-four hours looks like on a massive scale. As Europe’s wildfires make headline news, we can learn that not only are these fires growing more frequent and more intense, but the equivalent of 125 000 soccer fields is burned by them every day!! And, at the other end of the scale, 16 000 Olympic swimming pools could be filled by the ice melting from glaciers and the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets every day.  

As well as being a model for the presentation of information that students could emulate, this is such an intriguing series it will keep the Xanders of this world engaged for hours, providing even more evidence of the importance of having a vibrant, current and promoted non fiction print collection.  Who knows what might catch their eye and capture their curiosity?

Rotten!

Rotten!

Rotten!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rotten!

Vultures, Beetles, Slime, and Nature’s Other Decomposers

Anita Sanchez

Gilbert Ford

Clarion Books, 2023

96pp., pbk., RRP $A19.99

9780358732884

Imagine a world in which everything that ever lived remained as is forever, even when it was long dead!  Every plant, every dinosaur, every human…

Thankfully, Mother Nature has ensured that this doesn’t happen and in this fascinating book readers can learn about decomposition – the process of breaking something down into its pieces (like packing away a completed jigsaw) and regardless of the smell that often accompanies things that are rotting,  decomposition is not Nature’s end game, but just another step in the cycle of life. because all those bits are released, ready to combine again and complete new patterns. 

This is a fascinating book that looks at what happens to things when their life is over, and how they are assisted by Nature to decompose – such as sharks and vultures feasting on animal carcasses or worms, maggots and beetles devouring decaying plants – demonstrating that things are rotting away all around us all the time.  There are fascinating excerpts with titles like “Having Lee for Lunch” which could spark conversations about what happens to humans after they die, and Killer Litter which shows the impact of plastic that doesn’t decompose on wildlife. Readers are also encouraged to carry out their own experiments so they can observe and understand the process better, while gaining an even greater appreciation for the miracle that is Mother Nature.

More for independent readers, particularly those with curious minds, this is a fascinating insight that could spark the most intriguing STEM unit you have ever done!  

100 Things to Know About the Unknown

100 Things to Know About the Unknown

100 Things to Know About the Unknown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

100 Things to Know About the Unknown

Alex Frith,  Jerome Martin,  Alice James,  Tom Mumbray,  Lan Cook,  Micaela Tapsell

Federico Mariani, Dominique Byron, Shaw Nielsen

Usborne, 2023

128pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781803705286

There is a saying that you don’t know what you don’t know, but sometimes the unknown is really just the next step in human exploration whether that be into something enormous like space, something long ago like the origins of the Sphinx or something into the future like whether there will be chocolate spread in a few years.

According to this  fascinating book, there are many different types of unknowns including

  • things that are still awaiting discovery
  • things we think are true but can’t know for sure
  • things that can never be known
  • things that somebody knows- but they’re not telling
  • things we could know if only we were allowed to find them out
  • things that people once knew but now nobody knows
  • things that we are all better off not knowing

and those things that we don’t know we don’t know. 

Once again, Usborne has produced a fascinating book that delves into all sorts of things that are unknown, explaining some things such as the significance of the Tombs of Unknown Soldiers in more than 50 countries  while leaving others unexplained like the reason for the appendix in your body. With its usual reader-friendly format, accessible text and Quicklinks to encourage further exploration, this is one that has the potential to take the reader on hundreds of new journeys as they delve deeper trying the discover why.  Who knew that Nutella was in danger because of infections wiping out hazelnut trees? Or that it took nearly a century for scientists to believe the platypus was a real creature and not a hoax of several animals stitched together? Or that scientists still don’t know why we yawn

Exciting kids’ curiosity about why, where, when, what, which, and how is the basis for discovering the answers to the mysteries of this planet and beyond, and it is books like these that open their eyes and their minds to keep them wondering that will lead to answers, although, more likely, it will open up more questions.  Indeed, we don’t know what we don’t know, and relying on the Internet for information when only 4% of that is readily searchable (see page 98) shows why we need print books like this and all sorts of other topics in our library collections.  

Here’s proof! Gave it to a young friend…

3.30pm

3.30pm

7.30pm

Khawaja

Khawaja

Khawaja

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Khawaja

Paul Kelly

Avinash Weerasekera

Puffin, 2023

24pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781761340611

As Australia’s men and women’s cricket teams continue to do amazing things in this year’s Ashes series in England, the name of Usman Khawaja is now well-known well beyond cricketing fans and families, if it wasn’t already.  The top scorer in both Australian innings in the first test, following his two centuries in the 2022 New Year’s game, having been recalled after being sensationally dropped from the team in 2019, Khawaja was headline news well beyond the sports pages.

And it is this rise and fall and rise again that is captured by music legend Paul Kelly in this tribute to the man’s determination, patience and resilience, given that Khawaja himself thought he would never represent his country again. Now in picture book format so all little cricket lovers, and Khawaja fans especially, can have it forever at their fingertips, this is the print version of Kelly’s song that he wrote and released on social media after that 2022 performance.  

With the music based on the Hank Williams tune Kaw-liga, it is a catchy tune that will not only have young readers easily able to read the words for themselves, but also show them that perseverance and self-belief underpin success, regardless of whether it is cricket, sport or any dream. For even though Khawaja himself will likely be remembered for being the first Pakistani-born Australian and Muslim to wear the prized baggy green, it is the message of dedication, hard work, going-back-to-basics to make things better, application and commitment that will remain with the reader and inspire them. 

 

Lifesize Deadly Animals

Lifesize Deadly Animals

Lifesize Deadly Animals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lifesize Deadly Animals

Sophy Henn

Red Shed, 2023

32pp., pbk., RRP $A17.99

9780008534301

Imagine opening a picture book and being confronted with the talons of a bird, talons that are bigger than your own hand! And then discovering that they belong to a real bird, the harpy eagle! 

In this new book in this series which, this time, compares some of world’s smallest and largest deadly animals , young readers are invited to think about how they compare with these amazing creatures. And as well as discovering that many of the deadliest creatures are not necessarily the largest – the most successful predator is actually the common dragonfly – they also discover that just because something may not be deadly to humans, nevertheless it deserves its place in the book because of its impact on its own environment.

Every second double-page spread features a lifesize portion of a creature including caimans, snakes and lions, and the following spread explains why it is deadly and so effective within its own habitat.  So while the Bengal slow loris releases a deadly, flesh-rotting venom to kill, it only uses it on its own kind.  

Unlike Lifesize Baby Animals , which lent itself to children comparing their own size to that of the featured creatures, this one takes the reader into a different sort of investigation as they consider food chains and how species satisfy their basic need to eat.  Sometimes the biggest or scariest are not always the ones to fear the most.

One of my enduring memories of my 50+ years of teaching in both classroom and library,  is seeing groups of young boys, often not the best readers, poring over books like these excitedly discussing their discoveries, trying to outdo each other in the WOW stakes, and I am convinced that the provision of books like this contributes much more to their learning (and reading development) than the content presented within.  For that alone, this is a series worth having and sharing (although I am glad that Lifesize Creepy Crawlies is only available as an ebook!)

The Bird Book

The Bird Book

The Bird Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bird Book

Steve Jenkins

Robin Page

Clarion Books, 2023

48pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9780358325697

From the time a small feathered animal launched itself into the air 150 million years ago, the planet’s skies have been populated with birds and now  more than 10 000 species have evolved from that first archaeopteryx, being the only creatures of the dinosaur era to survive the impact of the asteroid that hit the earth 66 million years ago.

Using minimum text and many many illustrations of examples, the reader is taken on an exploration of the species that explains what a bird is, how the species evolved, and the features that have made them so successful including the power of flight, their senses, their adaptations to  their habitats, migration and all the other facets of life that one would expect to discover. The only drawback that it may have for the younger reader is the small, hand0writing like font that may prove tricky for them to read without help. Overall, though, this is an intriguing and informative book that really provides an ‘all-you-need-to-know’ introduction to a creature that varies from the bee hummingbird that weighs less than a ping pong ball tp the wandering albatross with its wingspan of over three metres to the ostrich which is the largest living bird on the planet these days, outstripped by the extinct giant moa, endemic to New Zealand.

Steve Jenkins has given young readers some fascinating insights into the animal world such as The Animal Toolkit and Animal Facts by the Numbers, and this is just as fascinating.

Do You Love Oceans?

Do You Love Oceans?

Do You Love Oceans?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do You Love Oceans?

Matt Robertson

Bloomsbury, 2023

32pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781526639646

Young readers can dive to the darkest depths of the deep blue sea, weave in and out of colourful coral reefs and learn about the incredible people who are trying to save our oceans in the fourth book in Matt Robertson’s award-winning Do You Love? series that includes Do You Love Exploring? , Do You Love Bugs? and Do You Love Dinosaurs? 

They can investigate shipwrecks where scorpionfish hide, dive down to the Mariana trench to meet a dumbo octopus, marvel at ocean giants and dart in between manatees in mangrove forests and explore the wonders of our underwater worlds on every page, from coral reefs, sharks and the deep to shipwrecks, weird fish and frozen seas through Robertson’s signature format of limited text and vibrant illustrations that make the information easily accessible..

 

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

They can discover that lobsters keep their teeth in their tummies, that there are rivers and lakes beneath the ocean and that sea stars have no brain or blood?

This is a series that taps into the interests of young readers and gives them a taste of what can be discovered once their interest is piqued.

 

The Frog Book – Nature’s Alarm

The Frog Book – Nature’s Alarm

The Frog Book – Nature’s Alarm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Frog Book – Nature’s Alarm

Sue Lawson

Guy Holt

Wild Dog, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781742036571

Sometimes on a clear, still night if you’re lucky you can hear the local frogs – even luckier if it is the sound of the pobblebonk that you will hear. But rather than curse them for keeping you awake, you should bless them because they are a sign that the local environment is healthy.  For frogs are often the first to show that things in their habitat are not well, and, in this book that teaches young readers all they need to know about frogs generally, they also learn that it is the frog’s thin permeable skin  that is the barometer for change.  Because as well as allowing life-giving air and water, it also absorbs pollutants and chemicals, and is sensitive to salinity and temperature changes. thus when frogs get sick, scientists know that there is something more concerning happening.

Most young readers are familiar with frogs because even if they haven’t heard them, they are usually one of the focal points of any studies about life cycles that children undertake, and this is a comprehensive book perfectly pitched at young independent readers so they learn not only about the crucial role of the creatures but why and how they, themselves, can help them through their own actions as well as how to build a frog-friendly habitat. Accessible text, large colour photos combined with detailed illustrations and comprehensive teachers’ notes linked to the Australian Curriculum make this an essential part of any collection of resources about these special creatures. 

For a creature that has survived on the planet since the days of the dinosaurs, it is a sad indictment that now, in Australia alone, there are more than 40 species listed as endangered or vulnerable. So when the pobblebonks and the other species that live in our dam start their nightly chorus it is time to celebrate that all is well in their patch of the planet – and just pull a pillow over my ears. 

Festivals!

Festivals!

Festivals!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Festivals!

Jane Bingham

Mariona Cabassa

Usborne, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781803702902

Festivals are times for fun and excitement, bring communities together to celebrate and commemorate.  And there are many books about the most common that are held in different cultures, religions and societies so that most students have a basic knowledge of a lot of them, particularly those that are important to their school populations.

But what sets this book aside apart from its vibrant presentation is that the festivals themselves are collated not by date or purpose but by action.  So there are collections of those where throwing things like gumboots and tomatoes gathered together under the heading SPLAT!;  others collected under headings such as Boo!, Crackle! and Parade! , even Splosh!

Amidst the eye-catching illustrations, only two or three festivals are featured and there is just the basic information about them, but this is expanded a little in pages at the back, making this an ideal text for young readers.  Who wouldn’t want to find out more about a festival that features giant ice castles that sparkle, or one that has a parade of giants or even one wear everyone wears a mask? And then, just in case you missed something there are look-and-find pages that encourage the readers to go back and find particular celebrations.

Time and again throughout my reviews I have said that Usborne really know what makes an interesting, engaging non fiction book and this one is no exception.  And, as usual there are Quicklinks to investigate individual festivals further but for me, the power of the book is the similarities in the way that we express joy and delight as we remember and recall, and that in itself, brings communities together as much as any individual focus. 

The Truth Detective

The Truth Detective

The Truth Detective

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Truth Detective: How to make sense of a world that doesn’t add up

Tim Harford

Ollie Mann

Wren & Rook, 2023

192pp., pbk., RRP $A22.99

9781526364579

In this evolving digital world where global connections are instantaneous and your money, even your identity, can be stolen with a few clicks of a mouse in any corner of it, more and more we need to teach our students to be critical thinkers and the Australian Curriculum strand of Critical and Creative Thinking has never been more important.  

But with Australians alone losing more than $3 100 000 000 to scammers in one year, it seems it hard enough to teach the adults let alone young ones who are only just emerging from childhood and its acceptance of all that is told to them, who are only just being mature enough to view things from another’s perspective or put themselves in another’s shoes, who are just learning to think logically and analyse according to what they already know and believe.  Young people who are perhaps experiencing the freedom of fewer restrictions on their digital footprint and for whom the timeless message of “stranger danger” is relegated to not talking to people they don’t know in the park and seem to be okay with posting personal information and photos on unknown, unmonitored platforms for the brief gratification of some likes from strangers.

So this is a timely book that needs to be in school and home libraries and shared and discussed.  Not because it teaches about being safe online, although that would be a desirable outcome, but because it gives the reader the tools and tips, strategies and skills to be critical thinkers. To not necessarily take everything at face value but to ask the core questions such as 

  • Does this idea make sense?
  • Does this story conflict with something I already know to be true?
  • Does this fact come from a trust worthy source?
  • Does the person telling me this seem friendly and confident?
  • Do I want this idea to be true?
  • Does this story make me feel something like fear or joy?
  • Is this a cool story?
  • What evidence supports this?
  • What evidence is missing?
  • What does the evidence teach us?

Using real life examples, the author shows the reader how to analyse the situation using the data and asking the right questions using an entertaining formula and format that is very readable. For example, he demonstrates how a magician’s trick of tossing a regular coin and getting ten heads in a row is more about the missing evidence rather than a lucky streak; how the famous “fairies at the bottom of the garden” photographs that fooled even the experts of the time were clearly fake; even how Florence Nightingale who started a revolution with a pie chart.

So, even though as teachers and teacher librarians we can teach our students to be sceptical, to ask certain questions and test websites and so forth for accuracy, authority, currency, objectivity and relevance, such concepts and skills are often taught in isolation and the power of this book is that actual events are put under the microscope and through logical analysis the truth is revealed. If “information is the best weapon” then we must give students the tools to test the information – and this book does this so well by encouraging the collection, analysis and comparison of data  giving context to all those maths lessons about statistics and probability and so forth, such as determining if there is actually a connection between playing a “violent video game” and “violent behaviour”. so the examples are right in the student’s world. 

The publisher’s blurb asks questions such as  Did you know that a toy spaceship can teach you about inflation and that a pooping cow can show you how to invest your pocket money? but, wearing my educator’s hat, there are much more important lessons to be learned from this book and that’s why, IMO, it’s a must in the teacher’s toolbox .