Engaging reads for children, from Books go Walkabout

Category: WideEyed Editions Page 1 of 2

Hear Our Voices by Radhika Natarajan & Chaq Tayiana, Illustrated by Alexander Mostov

This compelling and important history of the British Empire, told from the perspective of 20 people who lived through it, tells the story of one of the largest and most powerful empires in human history.


At one time, the British Empire ruled over almost a quarter of the world’s population. Men, women and children from all walks of life across the globe were affected in big and small ways. From the clothes they wore, the food they ate and the languages they spoke, to the work they did and the rights they held. This legacy and impact is still evident all over the world today.
This book shines a light on the human aspects of the ‘Empire where the sun never sets’, introducing readers to a host of figures, both powerful and modest, who lived through, challenged, and influenced the course of the British Empire.

 This book, published by Wide Eyed , part of Quarto group, tells the stories of 20 real figures whose perspectives have often been ignored, overlooked or sidelined. Told in a first-person narrative style, allowing readers to see through the eyes of these inspiring history-keepers.


Meet Queen Nanny,for example, the escaped slave who led a fight for freedom against the British in Jamaica. 
These engaging true stories of resistance, community, struggle and hope will spark conversations, and leave readers inspired. 

Written by Radhika Natarajan, Assistant Professor of History and Humanities at Reed College in Portland, Oregon and Chad Tayiana,a Kenyan digital humanities scholar and historian.

A magnificent book with an insight to the historic past of the ’empire’ , great for children in school and at home.

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

The Who,What,Why of Zoology by Lucy Letherland and Jules Howard

All about Zoology…

…The Incredible Science of the Animal Kingdom from Lucy Letherland and Jules Howard is a new release from Wide Eyed Editions.

An amazing book of the facts and quirky knowledge of the animal kingdom or Zoology, if you are studying at University. The book is so packed with interesting facts that it would a fascinating and useful read for research for all ages, from 7-25+.

If however, you are like me and just interested, this is a book to dip into and read some amazing information about our world. For instance, the fact bubble called Frog Finders on the Rainforest Rangers pages describes how triangulation works to find elusive frogs.

Join the scientists uncovering the secrets of the animal kingdom in this funny, fact-packed introduction to zoology. The Who, What, Why of Zoology is an exciting first book on this fascinating field of science. From the deepest oceans to Himalayan valleys, zoologists explore far and wide to better understand the worlds of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and nearly anything else that can walk, fly, or swim!

Not only is this book filled with up-to-the-minute facts about your favourite animals, but it also goes behind the scenes and out in the field to show how real zoologists find out more about the creatures we know, and even discover new ones.

Each chapter dives into a different real-world environment to observe the animals that live there, then fills the scene with zoologists to explore how this exciting science actually works. Then, turn the page to learn about the modern mysteries to which scientists are still searching for answers. Every page is bursting with facts you’ve never heard before, as well as plenty of funny detail to keep you searching for hours.

There are so many interesting sections, such as Wonders of the Wilderness but best thing to do is to purchase the book for a complete read. You will not be disappointed!

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

AFRICANA

Welcome to Africa

An incredibly beautiful book  packed with fascinating nuggets of information about the largest continent in the world.

Wide Eyed Editions an imprint of Quarto Knows, publish stunning books and Africana is one of the best examples of a book expertly produced which makes a wonderful gift in a school library or home coffee table. Aimed at children, the book will be well read by parents too.

Discover the incredible history and diversity of the African continent in all its splendour with this beautifully illustrated and fact-filled encyclopaedia.

This fascinating and beautiful book is divided into broad geographical sections which celebrate and showcase the peoples, landscapes and wildlife from different regions of this great continent, and bright and bold illustrations bring these facts to life.

Learn about the astonishing history of the continent, as the birthplace of the very first human beings, through rich historical civilisations such as the ancient Egyptians, the Benin Empire and the Kingdom of Kush, up to the development of the dynamic cities of the modern day.

Africana explores:

  • The beautiful visual cultures and artwork from across Africa, including the the printed cottons of Guinea and the mud cloth of Mali
  • Famous figures from African history and modern-day change makers
  • The incredible landscapes and wildlife of the continent, ranging from the deserts of the north, the rainforests of the central regions and the savannahs of the south
Human life probably began in Africa…


Featuring a stunning copper foil–detailed cover, this large-format book is packed with maps, timelines and much, much more to open your eyes to the beauty and brilliance of this diverse continent.

Kim Chakanetsa is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and producer from Zimbabwe. She joined the BBC in 2013 after working for CNN International and Associated Press. She has also worked on a number of documentaries for the World Service. When not in the studio, Kim likes attempting complex recipes.

Lagos-based multidisciplinary illustrator, Mayowa Alabi’s work is inspired by his childhood obsessions—African folklore and Afrofuturism. A graphic designer and photographer with over seven years of professional design experience, Mayowa previously worked as the Creative Lead at Co-Creation Hub Nigeria before taking on his current role as a visual artist for the BBC.

This amazing book has taught me so much about the vastness of Africa and its wide diversity and incredible history and topography.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

An Atlas of Lost Kingdoms illustrated by Lauren Baldo and written by Emily Hawkins

Mythical Lands, Lost Cities and Vanished Islands…

This is my kind of book! Packed with fascinating information and illustrations about intriguing lost worlds. At the start of each section in the world there are illustrated maps which help to place and define the lost kingdoms across the planet.

On this quest around the world, you will discover lost kingdoms, phantom islands and even legendary continents once sought by explorers but now believed to be mythical.

From a favourite publishing imprint Wide Eyed Books part of the Quarto Knows group, the hardback non fiction book makes a wonderful present and also a long lasting favourite for any school or library.

The Sword in the Stone…

For centuries, people have dreamed of finding the lost worlds of Atlantis, El Dorado and the Seven Cities of Gold. As well as shedding light on these famously elusive places, this atlas contains maps and captivating illustrations to illuminate lesser-known destinations, from the lost island of Hy-Brasil to the desert city of Zerzura. You will learn about rich mythologies from different cultures, from the Aztecs to the ancient Britons, from the Greek legends to Japanese folklore.
 
Most of the places in this book have never been found, but within these pages you will succeed where the adventurers of the past were thwarted. Learn about ancient maps, age-old manuscripts and cryptic carvings that reveal clues to the whereabouts of these lost kingdoms. The journey will transport you to thoroughly other-worldly places.

Once a children’s book editor, Emily Hawkins is now a full-time author. Her work has been featured on the New York Times bestseller list (Oceanology, 2009) as well as winning the Children’s Travel Book of the Year Award (Atlas of Animal Adventures, 2016). Emily has a strong interest in myth, folklore and storytelling and holds a first-class English degree from Nottingham University, living in Winchester, UK.

Lauren Baldo is an illustrator based in the Philippines. He has worked as a storyboard artist, comic artist, graphic designer, and children’s book illustrator.

In south Western Nigeria…

An Atlas of Lost Kingdoms is my book on the sofa for the next few nights. It will give me inspiration and ideas about areas which may have been lost, may be myth and in many cases simply true but forgotten.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist


 

Lore of the Land: Folklore and Wisdom from the Wild Earth

Folklore and Wisdom from the Wild Earth

Unearth the secrets of our natural world with The Lore of the Land, a richly illustrated compendium of folklore and wisdom from the land, skies and seas written by Claire Cock-Starkey and illustrated by Samantha Dolan

From thundering rivers to shady groves, flickering marshes to lightless caves, and from snow-capped mountains to the depths of the ocean, discover the folklore of Earth’s wildest places. Stories and spirits abound in these land- and seascapes, where traditional wisdom and mysterious magics have intertwined over centuries.

Each of the six chapters covers a different natural landscape, revealing the worldwide folklore surrounding Woodlands, Seas & Oceans, Wetlands, Mountains, Rivers & Streams and Hills & Caves. Beginning with tales from cultures spanning the globe, each chapter then dives into the legends of how these places were formed, their place in the human imagination and their natural and otherworldly denizens.

Forests hold secrets that only the wild can show…

Learn how the forests hold up the sky in Māori tradition; how in Ireland, seaweed was once thought to predict the weather; and that the ancient Greeks believed Mount Etna housed the fiery forge of the gods. All this and more is accompanied by beautiful artwork based on real folklore, uncovering the secrets of our natural world as never before.

A treasury of fascinating tales and ancient wisdom, The Lore of the Land is sure to fire the imaginations of young nature-lovers, and delight anyone who has ever wondered whether there is more to our natural world than meets the eye.

Publishers are Wide Eyed, part of the Quarto Group.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

What Are You Doing Today, Mother Nature? by Lucy Brownridge & illustrated by Margaux Samson Abadie

Mother Nature all around the world in 48 stories

This is a book to fall in love with. An exquisitely illustrated treasury showcases the most dramatic and beautiful Natural History stories that play out right under our noses year after year.

Every moment of the year, Mother Nature is hard at work, making clouds for the rain to fall from, preparing a squirrel to hide nuts for the winter cold, or guiding a little chick on its first flight halfway around the world. Find out what she is doing right now, in 48 stories of nature’s ever turning cycles across the world.

There are forty-eight double spreads which tell in wonderfully illustrated pages, stories of animals and nature across the world. This is  a great way to learn about our planet, the seasons and the huge diversity that exists in a wide variety of climates  and ecosystems.

Lucy Brownridge, has written and compiled this powerful and intriguing collection of stories from ‘A Hot Bath in Winter’ to ‘ The Sky Ablaze’. There is something for everyone with chunks of text, intriguing and evocative.

England in April…

Margaux Samson Abadie has created incredibly beautiful illustrations which are full of artistic images with diagrammatic forms, wonderful tools to enable understanding.

Wide Eyed Editions have produced a masterpiece, I highly recommend What Are You Doing Today, Mother Nature? for any age in schools, libraries and at home.

My favourite page is The Wood Wide Web, which tells how trees in a wood have a system of communication through the root systems and fungus spores…. Amazing!! Read the book to find our more…

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

Poems Aloud by Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett

Vibrant, colourful and a wonderful book of poems for reading aloud!

Tackle tongue twisters, confound your classmates with riddles, make your friends laugh and transform into a bowl of slime as you perform these poems. Build your confidence from the award-winning poet Joseph Coelho. This is the perfect book for confident children and shy readers alike. This brings the real fun of poetry to life for everybody.

The illustrations are brilliant, warm stylish and just make the words come alive.

One of my favourite poems in Poems Aloud is This Bear which is set over a double page and the bear is shown gazing into the pink sunset. He is an older bear and wandering quietly along.

This poem sounds best when read slowly take your time pause and breathe to add emphasis

‘This lumbering bear is old.

 This lumbering, bumbling bear has shuffled over rugged imagined mountains.

Urged his bulk slow and strong.

 Slow as geography.

Strong as tree growth

Through the forests of his mind.’

Joseph Coelho is an award-winning poet and performer from London. He has been long listed for the Carnegie children’s award. He won the 2015 CLPE CLiPPA poetry award with his debut poetry collection Werewolf Club Rules.

Watch this link from Edinburgh International Book Festival

Daniel Grey Barnett is an Australian illustrator and author living in Tasmania. He has illustrated for the New York Times, Sydney Opera House, The New Yorker. He brings a huge dimension of fun and engagement for this collection of poems for children.

The publishers are Wide Eyed, and they have a stunning portfolio of books for children.

Whether this book is for you at home or to use at school or nursery it is definitely one to buy. It will support reading and writing, and you will hear the words being remembered again and again.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

Stories Across the World

Spin to Survive Frozen Mountain by Emily Hawkins and R. Fresson

Decide your destiny with a Pop out Fortune Spinner…

Find out your fate as you face peril after peril in a wild, rugged landscape. This game in a book takes you across mountains, through rivers and across snowy landscapes. A brilliant book in this new and unique Spin to Survive series.

You become lost in the mountains after an emergency landing. Among the snowy peaks, you are at risk from dangers including falling victim to hypothermia, being buried by an avalanche, or stumbling into a deep crevasse. In your backpack, you have a sleeping bag, a thermal roll-mat, a bottle of water, a bag of nuts, waterproof matches, a pair of binoculars, a camera, a first aid kit and an old survival journal belonging to your grandfather.

As you confront each life-threatening challenge in this adventure-filled game book, place the Survival Spinner found inside the cover of the book on one of the circles on your current page, and spin. The place where the spinner points when it stops tells you if you have survived, are still living but injured or that you have perished, with a corresponding page number to turn to for each fate.

Throughout, you will learn about real-life survival techniques, including how to:

  • Make a snow shelter
  • Build a fire
  • Survive a bear attack
  • Treat a wound
  • Use the sun and moon to navigate
  • Cross a frozen lake
Real Life Survivors…

Harrowing tales of real-life wilderness survivors provide glimmers of hope as you deal with the consequences of your choices. One bad decision could lead to disaster…

Frozen Mountain is the debut book in the exhilarating Spin to Survive series from Wide Eyed Publishers, part of Quarto Knows. Discover real-life survival tips and stories as you navigate your own perilous journey through the wilderness guided by your decisions and the removable Survival Spinner.

The author is Emily Hawkins and illustrator is R. Fresson. Each page is an experience and looks as if you have drawn the pages yourself in a travel journal. This will make a fantastic and inspiring book for Christmas for children around 9-11 years, whether ardent readers or adventure makers.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

The Great British Staycation Activity Book by Claire Saunders and illustrated by Livi Gosling

Facts, puzzles and much more…

If you are about to set out on holiday with children, in the car  heading across the UK to somewhere  in the country, by the sea or any one of our amazing towns and cities, you are about to set out on an adventure.

This is  just the book to have for enquiring minds, for those questions that are hard to answer. It is packed full of puzzles, activities, from word searches to quizzes, from seaside sudokus to sandcastle counts, there are some great fun things to do.

Fossil hunters extraordinaire…

The format of the book is excellent, with appealing images and activities based on our enriching history, try the page with Wonderful Words if you are heading anywhere near Stratford on Avon for instance. Designing your very own Staycation Hotel will bring some awesome designs and far away from the standard hotel design. Maybe you could change it to an Air B & B or creative glamping design.

The Great British Staycation is written by Claire Saunders,based on the book Maps of the United Kingdom by Rachel Dixon, illustrated by Livi Goslings.

Published by Wide Eyed Editions, part of the Quarto Knows, this is a great book to have to take away with you, or even work on at home, a real treat!

Sue Martin

Stories across the world…

I Am Not a Label by Cerrie Burnell and Lauren Mark Baldo

34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past & present

An outstanding book about people first and how they have carved out their lives and thoughts against a number of odds and issues which could so easily have prevented them from living their lives. Society does like to label! This is a book which clearly shows that we just should not do that!!



In this stylishly illustrated biography anthology, meet 30 artists, thinkers, athletes, and activists with disabilities, from past and present. From Frida Kahlo to Stephen Hawking, find out how these iconic figures have overcome obstacles, owned their differences, and paved the way for others by making their bodies and minds work for them.

These short biographies tell the stories of people who have faced unique challenges that have not stopped them from becoming trailblazers, innovators, advocates, and makers. Each person is a leading figure in their field, be it sports, science, math, art, breakdancing, or the world of pop.

Read about Ludwig van Beethoven, Gustav Kirchoff, Henri Matisse, Eliza Suggs, Helen Keller, Frida Kahlo, John Nash, Stephen Hawking, Temple Grandin, Stevie Wonder, Nabil Shaban, Terry Fox, Jonas Jacobsson, Trischa Zorn, Ade Adepitan, and many others.

Cerrie Burnell is an actress, singer, playwright, author, and former television presenter for CBeebies (2009–2017). She was born with half a right arm and has sought to increase visibility of disabled people through her career in presenting, writing, and acting.

Shooter, swimmer and basketball player

Lauren Baldo is an illustrator based in the Philippines. He has worked as a storyboard artist, comic artist, graphic designer, and children’s book illustrator.

Publishers are Wide Eyed Editions, part of Quarto Knows. An amazing gift for excellent books which highlight research, people and subjects in a format which is modern and attractive. Just a great way to read and extend your knowledge.

Sue Martin

Stories Across the World

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