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Diary Of A Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty

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ACHUKA Book of the Day Thu 21 May 2020

Diary of a Young Naturalist chronicles the turning of a year in 15-year-old Dara McAnulty’s world.

These vivid, evocative and moving diary entries about his connection to wildlife and the way he sees the world are raw in their telling.

“I was diagnosed with Asperger’s/autism aged five … By age seven I knew I was very different, I had got used to the isolation, my inability to break through into the world of talking about football or Minecraft was not tolerated. Then came the bullying. Nature became so much more than an escape; it became a life-support system.”

Diary of a Young Naturalist portrays Dara’s intense connection to the natural world, and his perspective as a teenager juggling exams and friendships alongside a life of campaigning.

Waterstones
Amazon

 

 

Greta Thunberg – Little People, BIG DREAMS 40 by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara ill. Anke Weckmann

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Waterstones says: One of the most iconic activists of our age gets the Little People Big Dreams treatment with Anke Weckmann’s bold artwork perfectly complementing the clear, precise text of Sanchez Vegara. The ideal introduction to an essential life, this is another terrific entry in a highly collectable series.

When young Greta learned of the climate crisis, she stopped talking. She couldn’t understand why people in power were not doing anything to save our Earth. One day she started protesting outside the Swedish Parliament, creating the ‘School Strike for Climate’. Soon, lots more young people joined her in a global movement that shook adults and politicians alike. She had found her voice and uses it to inspire humans to action with her powerful message: “No one is too small to make a difference.” 
 

National Geographic Kids Infopedia 2021

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Latest instalment of this best-selling infopedia features brand-new amazing animal stories, explorer profiles, and outrageous attractions that children love, plus more of the incredible inventions, awesome games, and fresh challenges they will want to learn all about.

Practical reference material, including fast facts and maps of every country, has been fully updated. Homework help on key topics is sprinkled throughout the book.

A great home-schooling resource.

Waterstones
Amazon

Darwin’s Rival, Alfred Russell Wallace And The Search For Evolution by Christine Dorion ill. Harry Tennant

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 May 2020

In 1858, Alfred Russel Wallace’s travels in the Amazon Basin and Malay Archipelago led him to discover natural selection independently of Charles Darwin. Darwin’s Rival traces Wallace’s life from his childhood in the Welsh countryside to his rise to prominence among the scientific community, via dense tropical jungles and perilous journeys – and shines a light on one of the most important contributors to the theory of evolution. With evocative illustrations by Harry Tennant, this would make a stunning gift and is the perfect introduction to the man so often eclipsed by his contemporary and friend Charles Darwin.

Waterstones

How To Build An Orchestra by Mary Auld ill. Elisa Paganelli

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ACHUKA Book of the Day Mon 4 May 2020

Published in association with the London Symphony Orchestra and with a foreword by Sir Simon Rattle, LSO Music Director, this is the must-have book for all young (and would-be) music enthusiasts.

Find out what makes up an orchestra and learn about its different instruments, as this richly illustrated book follows a conductor who is auditioning each instrument for his orchestra. Comes with accompanying CDs and downloadable music.

With pictograms of a full-size symphony orchestra and information on all of the music featured. 

Waterstones

 

Under Your Feet – Soil, Sand And Everything Underground by Dr Jackie Stroud ill. Wenjia Tang

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Did you know that it takes 500 years for just 2.5cm of soil to form?

Richly illustrated and beautifully produced by DK Random House in association with the RHS, who will receive some of the royalties from the book.

Under Your Feet delves beneath the Earth’s surface and explores the diverse wonders hidden there. Encounter creatures of the deep and marvel at the mind-boggling size of the humongous fungus – the biggest organism in the world. Learn how one handful of ordinary soil contains more organisms than there are people on Earth, and carry out experiments using dirt from your own back garden.

Waterstones

Grow, Secrets Of Our DNA by Nicola Davies ill. Emily Sutton

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ACHUKA Book of the Day Wed 8th April 2020

A beautifully illustrated introduction to the concept of DNA for younger readers. All living things grow – every plant and every animal, including human beings. Some things grow fast and others grow slow; some things grow by tiny degrees, while others grow to be enormous. Yet there’s something about the way we grow that links us all together. Ever since you were the size of a dot, your body has been following a set of instructions: a code, which connects you with every creature on the planet…

“Richly informative” Sunday Times

Waterstones

Music Is My Life by Myles Tanzer ill. Ali Mac

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This book collects together 80 of music’s finest artists from Elives to Adele to guide young people through the good, bad and sad times. Dip in and  discover new artists from decades past to the present day.

Each entry contains biographical information on each artist, lists must-hear songs, and has accessible musical analysis from author and journalist Myles Tanzer. Every artist is captured in full-colour art by Ali Mac. With information at the front on how to soundtrack your mood, and information at the back on how to listen to and make your own music.

The book is accompanied by a Spotify playlist.

Waterstones

The Big Book Of Blooms by Yuval Zommer

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What does a venus fly trap eat?
How strong is a giant water lily?
Does a cactus flower?
The newest addition to Yuval Zommer’s bestselling series answers these questions and more as it introduces young children to all kinds of colourful, carnivorous, weird and wonderful flowering plants from around the world. It opens with introductory spreads on how to be a botanist; how to recognise different types of flowers; the life-cycle of a plant; flower anatomy; and the seven types of animal pollinators including bats, birds and beetles.

Waterstones

 

100 Things To Know About Science

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Why do whales have finger bones even though they don’t have fingers? How can tiny underwater plants change the weather?

Science is a huge topic, but this friendly book breaks it down into bite-sized chunks, making it an accessible introduction for anyone who wants to find out about this fascinating subject. Highly illustrated, in a pictorial, ‘infographics’ style, with snippets of information about all aspects of science from particle physics to genes and DNA.

Waterstones