The end of summer vacation is about to wrap up so why not jumpstart learning about interesting things before school starts? Here are some great books that should grab your kids, ages seven and up unless otherwise indicated.
Oceanarium: Welcome to the Museum, by Loveday Trinick and realistically illustrating each aquatic animal perfectly using graphite and watercolor by Teagan White, is an oversized and thicker picture book. Each open page showcases a particular sea animal with one side of the page featuring the animal highlighted and the other side full of information about it. The book is divided into nine parts which include plankton, anthropoids and reptiles. The last chapter has more information about the ocean in general. If you have a child that is interesting in aspects of the ocean, this may just be the book to push them seaward.
The Stardust that Made Us: A visual Exploration of chemistry, Atoms, Elements, and the Universe, by Colin Stuart and illustrated with color that fills every page by using graphite, wax and then colored digitally by Ximo Abadia explores the 118 known elements visually. The introduction is presented in an interesting and informative way. Some of the chapters include the groups of geological elements, important scientists, and the future. This oversized book is an excellent initiation into this science.
The Pop-Up Guide: Natural Wonders, by Sandra Laboucarie and inventively illustrated with pop-ups on every page by Charline Picard, displays ten extraordinary wonders of the world in an open-page three-dimensional display. Some of these wonders include the Grand Canyon in the United States, Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. The colors of each wonder featured are rich in color and texture. There are also built-in elastic bands to allow each pop-out to stay open to allow for more investigation. This beautiful book could be enjoyed by all ages.
What I Found at the Beach, by Moira Butterfield and brightly illustrated digitally by Jesus Verona, is a delightful picture book that is a search and find book while learning about different aspects of the beach. Three children are exploring the beach and on one open page, they are looking at the variety of rocks. The kid-friendly text delves into texture, shape, and color. On the far-left side, you will find an assortment of rocks that can be found by the shore with the name and a brief description of each. The entire book is laid out with this format. You’ll also learn about crabs, shells and more. This book is good for ages three through seven.
What the Dinosaurs Saw: Life on Earth Before Humans, by Fatti Burke, is a brightly illustrated picture book with color and images that fill the entire open page. Ms. Burke takes you through the different stages of dinosaurs as well as life on earth. There’s even a timeline found at the bottom of most of the pages. There is much to learn about with the dinosaurs. The open page about the size and growth of different types of dinosaurs is fascinating.
What About Science: An Illustrated Q&A Book for Kids, by Bertrand Fichou and Marc Beynie and wonderfully illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre, has each open-page labeled with a question. Chances are you may have pondered about some of these questions, but they will surely motivate you to read and discover the answer. Here are some of the forty-two questions found in this fascinating book: When will I stop growing?, Why is blood red? And How do fish breathe? The illustrations are alluring and will surely help captivate all who open the book hoping to find answers to questions they didn’t even know they had.
What Do You See? A Magical Slide-and-Find Book, by Renata Bueno, is a very clever and unique exploration board book perfect for toddlers to enjoy. (However, this book is so extraordinary, all ages will be enthralled.) There is an acetate sheet on the inside cover to use on the eight pages. There are thirteen colorful pictures to unscramble and by placing the acetate sheet over each, the familiar object will be revealed. For instance, you initially see black stripes. After placing the sheet over the stripes, a zebra appears. There is also an answer key found at the back of the book.
Everything Under the Sun: A Curious Question for Every Day of the Year, by Molly Oldfield, is a compilation of a variety of questions asked by kids with answers by knowledgeable sources as well as factual answers to help youngsters understand the world. The book is sectioned off by month with each day having a question. Here is an example of one of the three hundred and sixty-five questions: Why are some beaches stony and some sandy? This question is answered by Kate Martin, Coastal officer, National Trust. The illustrations are bright and multihued on every page.