Non-Fiction Books for Curious Kids - Collins Picture Atlas and The Amazing Human Body Detectives #review

Collins Picture Atlas

Children are naturally curious and love exploring and finding out amazing facts. This Collins Picture Atlas, designed and illustrated by Steve Evans, is a great way for little ones to find out about our planet, looking at the countries of the world and discovering facts about the people and places.

Colourful illustrations show animals, buildings and famous landmarks, with details just begging to be studied. Fun facts give an insight into the culture, the history and the lifestyle. The maps themselves are very simple, making it a great first atlas for children aged 4 - 8, helping them develop an interest and understanding of the continents and countries, without bogging them down in complicated jargon or unnecessary technical detail.

The Collins Picture Atlas is a book that will young children can dip in and out of or it can be used to look up where a country is or what a particular continent is like. The book is informative, imaginative and colourful, perfect for the age group it is designed for. It helps nurture an interest in the world and also encourages reading skills with the simple, informative text. A great addition to your child's bookshelf.

The Picture Atlas is brought to life through an online interactive game, which can be found at www.collins.co.uk/pictureatlas where children can journey through different areas of the world, meeting different people and animals. The atlas can be ordered from this page (currently at 30% off!) 

Published by Collins in hardback for £8.99.

The Amazing Human Body Detectives

Facts, Myths and Quirks of the Body

Maggie Li has created a human anatomy guide with a difference that children will love. This cool and quirky book is packed with detailed illustrations and fun facts about how the body works. On the front cover is a magnifying glass, which allows children to study the funny little details hidden on each page, adding to the fun. 

The voyage of discovery takes on subjects such as how we grow, what our organs do and hoe eyes work. However, the section on poo was Freddy's favourite, especially as it had an informative stool chart to identify what your poo says about you!

I loved that the book explains quite complex facts in a simple, easy to understand way, with a smattering of humour and with the added fun provided by the magnifying glass. I was always fascinated by biology and know that I would have loved this book and being able to learn about skin, hair, bones, teeth, the immune system and other body bits in such an engaging way.

It is suitable for ages 5 and up and can be shared with a grown-up or explored independently. It's a great introduction for kids to understand the workings of their bodies.

Published by Pavilion Children's Books, £9.99 in hardback.

Find out more here: www.pavilionbooks.com/bodydetectives

Collins Back to School Learning Resources

Collins have a great range of back to school resources, which are perfect for supporting your children's learning at home.  From pre-school to A'Level, the range covers every step of a child's education, and includes atlases, dictionaries and work books.

Kizzy has received the KS3 range, which will see her through the start of her time in secondary school, covering English, Maths, languages and geography.  The books are user friendly and are completely up to date with the curriculum changes.

            

Freddy received the KS1 bundle which covers the core subjects and the new curriculum.  The language books include a CD and stickers to make the learning of a foreign language fun and engaging.  The Easy Learning books are an excellent way to support English and Maths skills, while the dictionary, thesaurus and atlas will be great resources to help with homework or projects.

               

Collins is offering parents 30% off their back to school books plus free p&p until 30 September 2014 by using the code SCHOOLBAG30 at the checkout.

You can also win one of 50 bundles of books for your child in a Collins branded schoolbag at Collins.co.uk/backtoschool

Support Your Child's Learning at Home with Letts

Freddy 4, and Kizzy 11 are both back at school enjoying the start of a new term.  For Freddy, he is at the start of his primary school experience, where he is learning all about sounds, letters and numbers for the first time. Kizzy is in her final year of Junior School and soon will be taking her year 6 SATS exams. As a parent, I think it is very important to support your child's learning in the home by giving them the chance to explore their environment and learn through play and experience.  But it is also good to help in a more formal way by providing them with materials which support the education they receive at school.  Activity books and practice books are an excellent resource to share with your child.  They help to consolidate their skills and for older children give them the chance to extend their knowledge and nurture independent learning.

Letts is a great choice when it comes to buying educational activity books to support your child’s learning at home. Letts books are up-to-date with the curriculum, making them a reassuring purchase for parents. Plus they are fun, meaning the kids will enjoy doing them.

Letts provide an age appropriate range of educational activities and revision guides, suitable for all stages of a child's education.  Kizzy and Freddy were delighted to receive a bundle of books suitable for their age and stage of education.

Freddy is still very new to formal learning.  Until starting in Reception last September, he didn't show a lot of interest in using a pencil and wasn't very interested in books, in spite of our encouragement. He preferred playing hard and hitting things with sticks!  However, since becoming a school boy he is far more keen on picking up a pen or a book and is working hard at recognising letters and sounds.  The penny will drop for him and I'm sure he will be reading and writing very soon.  While he is at this stage, it's nice to offer him the chance to use activity books which are fun, entertaining and hold his interest as he hones his  phonics and penmanship skills.

Monster Skills Practice

Handwriting 5-6

Spelling and Phonics 5-6

Addition and Subtraction 5-6

Multiplication and Division 5-6

The friendly monster characters in the new Letts Monster Practice books bring an element of fun to younger children. These books support key maths and English skills being taught in school and contain stickers to use as rewards, which is something that Freddy always enjoys.  Each section gives the child activities to do and also gives an idea for a fun activity to extend their learning in the Fun Zone!  The back of the books features a cut out mask to add to the fun!

Letts Skills Practice

Spelling 9-11

 Mental Arithmetic 10-11

 Grammar and Punctuation 9-11

Kizzy is doing brilliantly at school and is ready to tackle her SATS in a few months.  Using practice books really helps boost her confidence and she enjoys doing them.  The layout of the books is really good, covering one particular topic then allowing the child to practice what they have been revising.  Mixed question tests help to put their new skills to work, and monitor their progress. 

                        

Letts books are published by Collins who also publish dictionaries, atlases, children's reference books, My First series books, learning books, Hello Kitty atlases and sticker books.  They give children the chance to learn whilst having fun.

Find out more at lettsrevision.com and collins.co.uk

Follow Collins on Twitter @Collins4Parents and Letts @lettsed

Readers of this blog can get an exclusive 30% discount on Collins Dictionaries, Reference Books, Atlases and Learning Books. This offer is available until 31 January 2014 and is valid with orders using promo code BOOKS30 on Collins.co.uk.