Inspiring Books for Children

What a Waste: Rubbish, Recycling and Protecting our Planet By Jess French

As more and more children are becoming aware of waste and recycling, this book is the perfect introduction for young children.

Did you know that every single plastic toothbrush ever made still exists? Or that there's a floating mass of rubbish larger than the USA in the Pacific Ocean? It's not all bad news though. Some countries are implementing schemes that are having a positive impact, and our waste can be turned into something useful.

Everything young ecologists need to know about what we're doing to our environment, good and bad, from pollution and litter to renewable energy and plastic recycling.

This hardback book features 72 full colour pages, with fun illustrations.

• Author: French, Jess
• Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishers
• Format: Hardback
• Publication Date: 01/04/2019
• ISBN: 9780241366912
• B-Code: B041232
• Dimensions: 276x216mm

Want to be EXTRAORDINARY?

This book will inspire you with the real-life stories of extraordinary people, showcasing a total variety of personalities and talents. Whoever you are, and whoever you want to be, read about the extraordinary stories of these 15 people, and decide how YOU can be extraordinary too!

From around the world and throughout history, discover unsung heroes - and some well-known faces - brought to life with astonishing story-telling and illustration.

Meet an artist, scientist, medic, environmentalist, musician, activist, writer, politician, and even a spy . . . above all, discover that there are MANY ways to be extraordinary and to make a real difference in the world.

Featuring the real-life stories of: Aeham Ahmad, David Attenborough, Mo Farah, Keiko Fukuda, Stephen Hawking, Frida Kahlo, Abdul Kalam, Judith Kerr, Wangari Maathai, Nelson Mandela, David Nott, Michelle Obama, Krystyna Skarbek, Alan Turing, Sau Lan Wu

• Imprint: Puffin
  
• Published: 01/08/2019
• ISBN: 9780241385401
• Length: 32 Pages
• Dimensions: 250mm x 3mm x 250mm
• Weight: 199g
  

** WINNER OF THE ORDNANCE SURVEY CHILDREN'S TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019 **

A colourful showcase of daring feats and journeys undertaken by some of the most heroic explorers who ever lived, as hand-picked by Alastair Humphreys (National Geographic Adventurer Of The Year)

It features a wide-spread selection of explorers from young to old, male to female who crossed land, sea and sky in the name of adventure and it may just inspire readers aged 7+ to do the same.

• Author: Humphreys, Alastair
• Publisher: Bonnier Publishing
• Format: Paper Back
• Publication Date: 16/08/2018
• ISBN: 9781787416260
• Pages: 96
  
• Dimensions: 280x216mm

This 96-page, hardback illustrated write-in book by by Alice James is an 'unworry toolkit' for children. Helping distract them from any anxieties, calming them down, and providing a place to sort through their worries and thoughts.

Aimed at 10 years plus, but it can help any child who is competent at writing.

It offers a variety of activities, from things to write, colour and design, to calm-down tactics and relaxation exercises and includes internet links to websites that offer support to young people and parents or carers of worried children, along with details of charities that can help.

• Author: James, Alice
• Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
• Format: Hardback
• Publication Date: 10/01/2019
• ISBN: 9781474950770
• B-Code: B040143
• Dimensions: 240x188mm

Why do we need friends? How do we make friends? And what makes a good friend?

This beautifully illustrated book explores how wonderful it is to have friends, looking at different types of friendships, and what happens when friends fall out and make up.

Includes helpful notes for grown-ups on talking to children about friendships, dealing with conflicts and imaginary friends.

Age: 3+
Hardback
ISBN: 9781474968386
32 pages
290 x 240mm
Written by: Felicty Brooks
Illustrator: Mar Ferrero

Superheroes have always been around, from legendary gods with mighty powers to human heroes who use a disguises to save the day . . .

Join six iconic mythic and legendary heroes from around the world in this colourful, illustrated collection of Ladybird Tales.

Meet tricksters, fighters, shape-shifters and even people who save the day with just the power of speech:

• Anansi the Spider-Man
• Loki and the Magical Hammer
• Hanuman, Demon Fighter
• Inanna in the Underworld
• Shahrazad the Storyteller
• The Legend of Hua Mulan

Perfect for bedtime, to read aloud or enjoy alone, these gripping tales breathe marvellous life into ancient art of storytelling. Includes a special introduction from award-winning author David Solomons.

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241381946
Number of pages: 96
Weight: 553 g
Dimensions: 255 x 185 x 15 mm

Activities and Tips to Make The World a Better Place

Packed with over 100 puzzles, games, activities, experiments and tips, Little Book for Big Changes offers fun, educational and creative ways to bring young people together to help change the world.

This innovative activity book encourages them to become responsible global citizens, develop understanding, empathy and a sense of responsibility, empowering them to protect the environment and to make the world fairer. Includes tips on how to recycle and reduce plastic waste.

This paperback contains 64 full-colour illustrated pages. 

• Author: Ng, Karen & Liepmann, Kirsten
• Publisher: Templar Publishing
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 15/11/2018
• ISBN: 9781787414808
• B-Code: B040157
• Dimensions: 235x190mm

This fun and empowering guide to making the world a better place is packed with inspiring ideas and tips for kids who want to make a difference.

Full of positive encouragement to find things they're passionate about and how to get started on making a big difference through small actions, this brilliant fact book for kids is a treasure trove of information and great advice.

There's a lot that can be changed by just one person, if you know what to do.

If you are a kid with big dreams and a passion for what is right, you just might be a world-changer in the making! Through ideas as small as creating a neighbourhood lending library to as important as public speaking and how to talk about politics, How to Make a Better World is a practical guide to activism for children.

Brightly illustrated inclusive art makes this fact book as visually appealing as its message. 

If you want to create a better world that is equally awesome for everyone, this book is for you.

Authored by Kelly Swift, the Managing Editor of First News, an award-winning weekly newspaper for children.

Author: Swift, Keilly
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishers
Format: Hardback
Publication Date: 27/02/2020
ISBN: 9780241412206
Illustrated: illustrated
Pages: 96
Dimensions: 276x216mm

"...to be revisited again and again...The candy-colored pages and straightforward stories are hard to resist..." -The New York Times

Meet 52 icons of colour from the past and present in this celebration of inspirational black achievement. This is a collection of stories about change makers to inspire and empower the next generation.

Jamia Wilson has carefully curated this range of black icons and the book is stylishly brought together by Andrea Pippins' colourful and celebratory illustrations.

Inspired by Nina Simone's song "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," this beautiful book is a perfect introduction to both historic and present-day heroes.

Meet figureheads, leaders and pioneers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and athletes like Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams.

All children deserve to see themselves represented positively in the books they read. Highlighting the talent and contributions of black leaders and changemakers from around the world, readers of all backgrounds will be empowered to discover what they too can achieve. Strong, courageous, talented and diverse, these extraordinary men and women's achievements will inspire a new generation to chase their dream... whatever it may be.

The 52 icons:

Mary Seacole, Matthew Henson, Ava Duvernay, Bessie Coleman, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Cathy Freeman, George Washington Carver, Malorie Blackman, Harriet Tubman, Mo Farah, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jesse Owens, Beyonce Knowles, Solange Knowles, Katherine Johnson, Josephine Baker, Kofi Annan, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Brian Lara, Madam C.J. Walker, Yannick Noah, Maurice Ashley, Alexandre Duma, Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou, Nina Simone, Simone Biles, Stevie Wonder, Esperanza Spalding, Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, Pele, Nelson Mandela, Louis Armstrong, Rosa Parks, Naomi Campbell, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Muhammad Ali, Shirley Chisholm, Steve McQueen, Zadie Smith, Usain Bolt, Wangari Maathai, Mae Jemison, W.E.B. Du Bois, Nicola Adams, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Misty Copeland.

• Paperback
• Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
• ISBN: 9781786039835
• Number of pages: 64
• Dimensions: 276 x 235 mm

Determined Ada Twist, with her boundless curiosity for science and love of the question "Why?," is destined to join these two favourites. Like her classmates Iggy and Rosie, Ada has always been hopelessly curious.

Why are there pointy things stuck to a rose? Why are there hairs growing inside your nose? She embarks on fact-finding missions and conducts scientific experiments, all in the name of discovery. When her house fills with a horrific, toe-curling smell, Ada knows it's up to her to find the source. But, this time, her experiments lead to trouble.

• Author: Beaty, Andrea & Roberts, David
• Publisher: Abrams & Chronicle Books Ltd
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN: 9781419721373
  
• B-Code: B026245
• Illustrated: Full colour
• Pages: 32
• Dimensions: 279x229mm

This treasure trove of boredom-busting inspiration will keep children entertained for hours on end, whatever the weather.

Stage a shadow puppet show, make musical instruments, fly a kite and lots more, then stimulate your brain with riddles, word games and memory puzzles. The book even includes links to fun websites with even more things to do.

• Author: Usborne
• Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: 9781474922579
  
• Illustrated: Illustrated
  
• Pages: 128
• Dimensions: 247x196mm

Fifty of the foremost diverse children’s authors and illustrators–including Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, and Kwame Alexander–share answers to the question, “In this divisive world, what shall we tell our children?” in this beautiful, full-colour keepsake collection, published in partnership with Just Us Books.

What do we tell our children when the world seems bleak, and prejudice and racism run rampant? With 96 lavishly designed pages of original art and prose, fifty diverse creators lend voice to young activists.

Featuring poems, letters, personal essays, art, and other works from such industry leaders as Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming), Jason Reynolds (All American Boys), Kwame Alexander (The Crossover), Andrea Pippins (I Love My Hair), Sharon Draper (Out of My Mind), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Ellen Oh (cofounder of We Need Diverse Books), and artists Ekua Holmes, Rafael Lopez, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, and more, this anthology empowers the nation’s youth to listen, learn, and build a better tomorrow.

Author: Hudson, Wade & Cheryl
Publisher: Publishers Group UK
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780525580454
Illustrated: illustrated
Pages: 96
Dimensions: 229x191mm

A treasure trove of pirate queens, athletes, warriors, scientists, actors, and mathematicians, as well as courageous ordinary men and women who did extraordinary things.

Do you think you know who first thought of the theory of evolution? Have you ever wondered who created the oldest university in the world? Is Joan of Arc is the only rebel girl who led an army that you've heard of?

If so, then you need this stunningly illustrated treasure trove of iconic and hidden amazing Muslim heroes!

You'll find people you might know, like Malala Yousafzai, Sir Mo Farah and Muhammad Ali, as well as some you might not, such as: Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham, the polymath whose pioneering work on optics predates Newton by hundreds of years; Sultan Razia, first female Muslim ruler of South Asia; and Noor Inayaat Khan, the Indian princess who became a British spy during WWII.

There are so many more amazing Muslim men and women who have changed our world, from pirate queens to athletes, to warriors and mathematicians. Who will your next hero be?

Author: Islam, Burhana
Publisher: Penguin Puffin
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780241441800
Illustrated: Colour illustrations
Pages: 208
Dimensions: 250x177mm

For curious young minds who want to know what, why and how, from the bestselling team behind Ada Twist, Rosie Revere and Iggy Peck.

Ada herself will take readers through the scientific method and show them how to build experiments to find answers, solve everyday mysteries and come to think more critically about the world around them.

Like Rosie’s and Iggy’s project books, Ada’s is both empowering and kid-friendly, with tons of classroom and parent appeal. No kid’s lab is complete without it.

• Author: Beaty, Andrea & Roberts, David
• Publisher: Abrams & Chronicle Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: 9781419730245
  
• B-Code: B034511
• Illustrated: Full colour
• Pages: 96
• Dimensions: 279x229mm

This book is full of creative (and sometimes crazy) ideas for your budding young scientists.

Whether your child is crazy about chemistry or bananas about biology (or just likes making a mess), these projects and experiments will get them excited about science - and all without going anywhere near a TV, tablet or computer screen.

Whether they want to Launch a Rocket, Create a Giant Egg, Blow a Bubble Snake or Build a Balloon Powered Racing Car, there's a whole wealth of fun suggestions to keep them amused - and you never know, they might even learn something along the way.

• Author: Isaac, Dawn
• Publisher: Kyle Books
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 13/02/2017
• ISBN: 9780857833839
• Illustrated: Colour photos
• Pages: 224
• Dimensions: 220x210mm

What if we celebrated boys for their kindness as well their strength, their generosity as well as their success?

Authors Rob Kemp and Paul Blow have collated 50 male role-models that have showed that changing the world doesn't require a sword or a corporate jet, from David Attenborough to Nelson Mandela, Oskar Schindler to Usain Bolt. There's even a section celebrating ten boys who didn't let their young age stop them from helping others, such as Matthew Kaplan, who responded to his brother's bullies by setting up an anti-bullying programme for schools.

• Author: Kemp, Rob & Blow, Paul
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Childrens Division
• Format: Hardback
• Publication Date: 14/09/2018
• ISBN: 9781526361448
• B-Code: B036169
• Dimensions: 228x190mm

This handy-sized Usborne paperback book is packed with 50 fun, step-by-step experiments and activities for young scientists.

Activities include creating a light and shadow show, separating colours in a fascinating ink experiment, creating a foaming monster using chemical reactions and lots more!

Each page gives step-by-step instructions for how to complete the activity as well as a simple explanation of the science behind it.

An excellent book to introduce children to scientific concepts in a fun and interactive way.

Meet kids - just like you - taking action against climate change.

Learn about the work they do and discover how the future of our planet starts with the small changes you can make, inspire and provoke.

Foreword by the leaders of the school strike for climate change.

• Age 4-7
• Author: Taylor, Anna & Lirius, Adelina & Kirby, Loll
• Publisher: Abrams & Chronicle Books Ltd
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN: 9781916180529
  
• Illustrated: Colour illustrations
  
• Pages: 32
• Dimensions: 280x240mm

This book looks back at 15 important science ideas and more than 50 ingenious thinkers who have helped shape our understanding of the world - whether they were right or wrong.

It examines ideas from atoms, electricity, and the solar system, right up to recent discoveries like AI and genetics.

Thinkers include, Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, Charles Darwin, Aristotle, Isaac Newton, Grace Hopper, Alan Turing, and Ada Lovelace.

• Author: Hardy, Freya & Mulvanny, Sara
• Publisher: Aurum Press Imprints
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: 9781782407386
  
• Illustrated: 200 illustrations
  
• Pages: 80
• Dimensions: 279x216mm

From the heroes familiar to everyone, such as Malala Yousafzai, to the amazing activists you might not have heard of, like Baruani Ndume, the teenager who gave a voice to fellow refugee children in Tanzania, discover the incredible true stories of child activists.

An inspirational and moving book from beloved author-illustrator Marcia Williams, providing the perfect introduction to an important subject and marking the 30th anniversary of the Rights of the Child.

• Author: Williams, Marcia
• Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
• Format: Hardback
• Publication Date: 23/08/2019
• ISBN: 9781406384109
• B-Code: B045473
• Illustrated: illustrated
• Pages: 40
• Dimensions: 316x253mm

‘Humans are very adaptable: We can still fix this. But the opportunity to do so will not last for long. We must start today. We have no more excuses’ – GRETA THUNBERG

Follow in the footsteps of the Swedish teenage activist and Nobel Peace Prize candidate in We Are All Greta and join the global mission to save our planet from climate change.

Greta Thunberg, author of No One is too Small to Make a Difference, has directed the attention of adults and her peers alike to issues crucial to the future of the planet, and the heads of even the youngest children have been filled with questions.

Global warming, the greenhouse effect, fossil fuels – what do they all mean? What are biodiversity and sustainable development? Who is studying the changes that are taking place here on Earth? Which sources are reliable? What action can I take?

We Are All Greta sets out the basic ideas required to understand climate change, explained in a scientific and accessible way and drawn from the most authoritative sources. It is for young people, for parents, for grandparents and anyone having to answer direct and urgent questions about what must be done to protect our world.

With in-depth text and data, this necessary and timely book will answer readers’ questions on what climate change means, what its consequences will be, and what must be done to protect our world.

This book is an older read, but perfect for teens or parents wanting to inform and educate their children.

• Author: Giannella, Valentina
• Publisher: Laurence King
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 24/09/2019
• ISBN: 9781786276131
• B-Code: B044962
• Illustrated: Illustrations
• Pages: 128
• Dimensions: 210x170mm