Guinness World Records 2013!!!

Guinness World Records 2013, HB $43.00

Your mind will be blown by fascinating facts and crazy people in the newest edition of the Guinness World Records. There is now an App available that allows you to view the records in 3D.

More than 280 pages of records from the dangerous to the gross to the truly unbelievable. Kids and adults will really enjoy this book and will probably be inspired to try and break some records of their own…

10 hamburgers in 3 minutes anyone???

Small and Tall Tales of Extinct Animals by Helene Rajcak and Damien Laverdunt

Sure, we’ve all heard of the Dodo and the Woolly Mammoth, but what about the Glyptodon or the Tratratratra? This enthralling book takes us on a journey around the world to introduce us to some of the varied and extraordinary species that have now sadly become extinct. The book is divided into regions, with a map to show where the animals once lived. In addition to fascinating facts about each species and when they disappeared, the book includes the legends and folk tales that have built up around the vanished creatures, and lots of illustrations.  As well as looking back at the distant past, the book reminds us that the Chinese River Dolphin became extinct as recently as 2007, and there are many other species that are gravely endangered – Lonesome George is the last remaining member of a subspecies of Galapagos tortoises that once inhabited Pinta Island. A gorgeous and informative book. Hardback, $28

There is an onion trapped in this book.

Sara Fanelli has created a wonderful book for young kids in The Onion’s Great Escape. A whimsical story meshed with interactive journal notebook type activities and an ongoing mission to Free The Onion*, this large board book makes a beautiful gift. Young boys or girls with a flair for riddles and a taste for the unusual will get hours of entertainment and joy out of this lovely book.

I found myself wondering what my own answers were to the questions I found inside this book when I picked it up. From introspective;
“Does remembering happy times make you feel happy or sad? Why?”

…to mind bending;
“If a chicken eats a worm and I eat the chicken, did I eat a worm?”

…to existential;
“Can you forget to remember?  Can you remember to forget?”

This is the sort of book to be treasured long after its completed and reflected on (and laughed at) for years afterwards. Though careful, it claims to disappear…

Recommended for children 8+, $29.95.

*If books like this got the recognition it deserves we’d be seeing Free The Onion t-shirts everywhere a la Vote For Pedro. I’d wear one.

The Word Spy Acitivity Book

Ursula Dubosarsky’s Word Spy has got a new lease on life with this activity book. Illustrated by Tohby Riddle this book adds on to The Word Spy and The Return of the Word Spy with the addition of crazy games and playful puzzles this wonderful will have you looking at words and language in a whole new light. From learning to write beautifully to how to crack cryptic clues The Word Spy Activity Book is fun for the whole family in an unexpected package. Paperback, $19.95.

Wacky Robots! Crazy Machines! Pirates and more!

We have a great new range of sticker books featuring some very wacky robots and some partying, or pesky, pirates. Its your choice! If machines are more your style, go Crazy from rockets to tractors. These little books will have you kids reading, and hopefully a little quiet, and all for just $5. Lovely.

 

Making Maths & Science Fun – it’s possible!

Maths and Science teachers have it tough, getting kids interested in things they’ve already written off as boring/hard/useless. These books are here to help get your kids excited about Maths & Science. And I reckon they’ll do a pretty good job!

From how to make a maze to how to count to infinity, 50 Amazing Things Kids Need To Know About Mathematics by Anne Rooney covers a lot of ground. For example, the chapter on how to make money for nothing simplifies the complicated world of banking to explain how interest works…and why you’d keep you money in a real bank as opposed to one shaped like a pig!

50 Amazing Things Kids Need To Know About Science by Penny Johnson will bend your mind, and your kids, as you learn how to how to think like an ant. You know you want to. Not only that but you will learn to make electricity out of sunshine and how to climb Everest! I think these books might be just as fun for adults as they are for kids…

Both are Hardback, $20.

Big Ideas in Little Books!

If your parents aren’t so great at explaining science concepts, you best get these little and entertaining books into your collection!  The Basher Books, by Simon Basher, cover a whole range of tricky topics and make them fun and easy to understand.  Even better, they are accompanied by awesome illustrations of naughty little Japanese-style manga characters on every page- science meets art in an ingenious collaboration.

Books in this series include:

-The Periodic Table: Elements With Style!

-Human Body: A Book With Guts!

-Physics: Why Matter Matters!

-Chemistry: Getting A Big Reaction!

-Astronomy: Out Of This World!

-Biology: Life As We Know It!

-Rocks & Minerals: A Gem Of A Book!

-Planet Earth: What Planet Are You On?

The language in the books are simple but descriptive, with the author using modern and common-day events to compare to the scientific concepts in question.  If only teachers could make science so easy to understand!

At only $15 each, these books are a steal!

In store now!

Build it all with LEGO!

The Lego Ideas Book

Don’t let your school holidays slide idly by this break, indulge in some creative building with The Lego Ideas Book!  This large hardback is bright and colourful and full of fantastic building suggestions for kids that love lego.

This in-depth guide covers the most simple task (the classic lego car) to the most intricate design (a hot air balloon, anyone?!), and includes ideas from their many popular ranges such as castles, pirates, jungles and animals.  Hours of (quiet) fun!!

The instructions are clever and easy to follow, with every task accompanied by multiple photos.  This book is a winner!!

RRP $39.95 in hardback

In store now!

Eyewitness for kids

Grown-ups will be familiar with the wonderful Eyewitness travel guides – they are easy to navigate and packed full of interesting information and photographs. The revamped Eyewitness information books for children follow the same winning formula. The books look fantastic and are broken down into easy-to-digest chapters which together build an impressive coverage of each book’s topic. The many photographs really bring each subject to life, making them even more appealing to kids. Each book even includes a wall-chart. Covering a wide range of subjects from Predators and the
Moon, to Shakespeare and Ancient Rome, there is sure to be a book in this series for every curious child! And at only $16.95 each, why not start a collection?

Go the F to Sleep by Adam Mansbach

I really considered posting this on our adult blog but decided that picture books are at home on our kids book. But let it be said, this book plays it fast and lose with the f work and throws in a few more un-kid-safe words for good measure. More than just an excuse to swear this is actually a cute story, though I wouldn’t say it has a happy ending. The indispensable illustrations are distinctive and whimsical, like the story.

A realistic, hilarious, and playful look on parenting, this one will make a great gift for parents of young children, particularly first time parents I’d imagine, once its published in July. Hardback, $17.95.