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Non-Fiction Book Reviews
Jamia Wilson, illus. Jade Orlando, pub. Magic Cat Publishing
Jamia Wilson, the curator of this vibrant and inspiring anthology, began with a simple but powerful question: “What brings you joy?” She posed it to 52 Black individuals from across the globe, each with a unique story, background, and passion. The responses she gathered form the heart of A Year of Black Joy - a beautifully illustrated and engaging book that celebrates the richness and diversity of Black experiences.
Each contributor is spotlighted over a double page spread. One page is devoted to a personal narrative, where they describe their passion - how it began, what it means to them and how it shapes their identity. On the opposite page is a related non-fiction element that enhances the reader’s understanding or offers practical advice. For instance, lifestyle blogger Dr. Marie Lahai shares savvy social media strategies; chef Andi Oliver includes a mouthwatering recipe for Spiced Squash and Caramelised Red Onion Skirlie; renowned space scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock provides tips for stargazing; and filmmaker Nganji Mutiri contributes a reflective and expressive poem.
The breadth of topics is astonishing - ranging from science and food to poetry, music, and activism - making this book a true celebration of joy in all its forms. It is not only a delightful read but also a wellspring of creativity and inspiration. While the book is primarily aimed at children aged 7 to 9, its appeal is far broader. Older children will find much to enjoy and reflect upon, and educators or parents can use it as a springboard for conversations about careers, identity and the many ways joy can be expressed and nurtured. A must for the school library too.
With its uplifting tone, contemporary relevance and joyful energy, A Year of Black Joy is a book to dip into, share and return to again and again.
Barbara Band
A Year of Black Joy – 52 Black Voices Share Their Life Passions
Bridges
Magda Gargulakova, illus. Jakub Bachorik, pub. Post Wave Children’s Books
Post Wave Children’s Books explain that they “acquire and translate original, beautiful, fun, clever books that visually delight, entertain, inspire and help children to discover the world around them.” This claim is so true for this book, a brilliant, fascinating and very informative book about every type of bridge from around the world. Its large format is bursting with illustrations, line drawings and comic strips. There are lists of facts, such as different words for a bridge. There are fun activities for young readers to try out, including a double page maze activity and ideas on how to build a spaghetti bridge.
The book provides a very comprehensive journey and discovery of bridges. We learn that no two bridges are the same. There are every size, from small to enormous; complex, modern and simple, ancient bridges. Many questions are posed and answered in detail. Starting with what are bridges? How can bridges help us? The reader will discover how bridges can shorten our journeys. Illustrations show how bridges cross deep valleys, rivers, roads and even seas. Lots of amazing and different bridges are mentioned, including Tower Bridge in London, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Charles Bridge in Prague, the Forth Bridge in Scotland and the Brooklyn and Golden Gate Bridges in America. Discover how to build a bridge, including the preparation, the construction and the materials needed. Famous bridge builders are included, such as Thomas Telford and Brunel. Different types of bridges are explained, like suspended, lifting, aqueduct, beam, truss, arch, cantilever and bridges for cars, trains, people and animals.
This really is the most amazing, comprehensive and detailed account covering the architecture, history, engineering, the geography and science of bridges. There is even a look at fables and mythology around bridges in different cultures. For everything bridges, told in a fun and informative way, this book is well worth a look.
Gary Kenworthy
Can You Get Music on the Moon?
Dr Sheila Kanani, illus. Liz Kay, pub. Penguin Random House Children’s Books
Can You Get Music on the Moon? is a brilliant new scientific book which explores the world of sound, from earth all the way to the moon!
Full of fascinating information, this book explores everything from why certain animals make certain sounds (for example, dolphins making clicking sounds) to why music makes us feel good. The did you know facts on the different pages are interesting and very varied as well – nuggets of knowledge such as the fact that wolves can eat up to 9kg in one go break up the bigger amounts of text for the reader. This adventure through sound and space is a great read for all those budding scientists who love learning about how sound is made and travels in different environments. There is even a lecture theatre in London – the Royal Institution – which is specially shaped to ensure that the acoustics are perfect; if you stand in the middle of the lecture-theatre, anyone in the room can hear you without even needing to use a microphone!
Dr Sheila Kanani is a planetary scientist and a space educator with a background in astrophysics and astronomy who has been rewarded an MBE for services to astronomy and diversity in physics. She is not only incredibly knowledgeable but is able to share her knowledge in an interesting and engaging way for children. Liz Kay’s illustrations are superb – often filling the centre of the page while blocks of colours border the text. The book is ordered into different sections which each explore sound in a different context before answering the final key question – whether you can actually get music on the Moon.
Any child who reads this book will become an expert on all things sound and be able to show off their incredible knowledge to all of their friends.
Tom Joy
How To Be Disabled and Proud (or at least kinda sorta okay with it)
Cathy Reay, illus. Jaleel Hudson, pub. Puffin Books
In this book Cathy Reay, who is herself disabled, has created a supportive guide to navigating the challenges of growing up. The content is divided into sections – Am I Even Disabled Anyway?; Family Matters; Back to School, BIG and SCARY School; Forever Friends; Your Changing Body; Hospitals, Doctors and All That Medical Stuff; YOU Can Help Change the World; The World of Work and Disabled and Proud (Or at Least Kinda Sorta Okay With It). This approach helps readers to dip in and out.
Reay is always empathetic and comforting. The language is conversational. Sometimes she draws on her own life experiences or includes comments from a wide range of disabled changemakers and friends, including Ellie Simmonds, Jameisha Prescod, Nina Tame, Shani Dhanda and Simon Wheatcroft. Their insights are valuable, and they are role models reminding readers that any kind of career is possible. Throughout the book Reay emphasises to readers that they are normal and important. They are given advice on how to assert their needs and consider how they can advocate for themselves and others. The book is also relevant to parents and carers and children who are not disabled. This content is serious but there is also warmth and humour and Jaleel Hudson’s illustrations are fun. The presentation involves a variety of techniques such as different fonts, speech bubbles, lists, bullet points and sections where readers can add their own notes and jottings. At the end of the book there is an excellent glossary, a list of disabled icons, reading recommendations, and some organizations and resources.
An empowering read that encourages disabled readers to value and appreciate themselves for who they are, exactly as they are. It is also a powerful call to action for both disabled and non-disabled people to create a more accessible, more understanding world. Highly recommended for age 9+.
Brenda Marshall
How To Be A Ladybird
Laura Knowles, illus. Steven Wood, pub. Dorling Kindersley
Non-fiction but not as we know it! This charming introduction to all thing’s ladybird utilises a clever graphic novel format, breaking all the detailed information into humorous little bite sized chunks. Perfect for keeping little ones engaged whilst they learn things like the ladybird’s life cycle from egg to adult lady bird, the predators they may encounter, all the different types of ladybird complete with stats like size and habitat and lots more...
The narrator is a hilariously named grasshopper called Charles Darwing who moves the story along through time, tying everything together really nicely. The book gives in depth descriptions with lots of scientific detail peppered amongst the comedic anecdotes. There is a spread towards the end of the book about how children can help ladybirds which is a lovely interactive way to round off the story.
The bright, characterful illustrations are the cherry on the cake of this highly original, enjoyable and informative read. A must have on any children’s non-fiction bookshelf!
Krina Patel-Sage
It’s A Brave Young World
Anu Adebogun, illus. Soofiya, Lila Cruz, pub. Little Tiger
This book presents readers with a guide, one that is designed to help young girls navigate the challenges and complexities of growing up. There are many subjects covered, providing a wealth of information, including friendships, crushes, mental health, consent, and the effects of social media.
Illustrated throughout, it is filled with helpful tips and activities in every section of the book. Even though the text covers a wide range of topics, the format and style of writing make the text a very accessible resource for anyone looking for answers, or just wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter. The reader has the option of choosing a topic to work through, or dip in and out of, text and information as they see fit by selecting it.
The book has an attractive, colourful design and is aimed at readers aged 11 and older. It is packed full of clear, interesting information, short stories, and fun activities which will allow young girls to learn the most important things about growing up. In my opinion, this is an inspirational book that grown-ups will find as a valuable resource to spark conversations with teenagers about topics that are important as we progress through our lives.
It's A Brave Young World is exactly the kind of book that I wish someone had written when I was a young girl.
Katy Ralph
Minibeasts
Rosie Neave, illus. Mary Atwood, pub. Magic Cat Publishing
What could be a better gift to accompany a book about minibeasts than a nifty little magnifying glass to help you see the tiny creatures in detail? The pop out magnifying glass has handy mini rulers printed either side to make measuring any nature discoveries nice and easy. The magnifying glass not only encourages children to take a closer look at details illustrated in the book and real life plants and creatures but also allows them to read the answers to some of the questions featured in the book, as they are written in tiny text. This detail adds another layer of engagement for the reader.
This book truly encourages children to engage with their natural surroundings in a curious and respectful way. The first spread includes information on preparing to go outside and explore as well as explaining how to use the book to its full potential. Subsequent spreads go into detail and are organised into either different groups of minibeasts such as beetles or butterflies or a specific element like body parts, or how certain minibeasts move about or camouflage themselves amongst other things.
Packed full of fascinating details and realistic illustrations, readers are bound to learn something new when delving into this book. The second to last spread gives useful tips on how to “be a friend to bugs” which rounds off the environmental feel of the book really nicely. Readers are bound to enjoy the final interactive treat, an illustrated list of over 90 categorised bugs listed on the back end papers ready for little explorers to spot on their adventures. If there’s one thing this book does spectacularly well, it’s enticing children into the outdoors to engage with the natural world.
Krina Patel-Sage
​Owning It: Our Disabled Childhoods In Our Own Words
ed. Jen Campbell; James Catchpole; Lucy Catchpole, illus. Sophie Kamlish, pub. Faber
This book enables readers to hear the real voices of disabled people as they tell their own stories, in their own words. The twenty-two writers are varied and diverse from a range of countries including the United States, Norway, Nigeria, Canada, Iraq, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The stories cover a wide range of subjects and disabilities.
Contributors include Elle McNicoll who recalls being removed from her regular classroom for Special Needs lessons: “I might as well have worn a sash with the letter A for Autistic written on it. I felt branded. I was wearing a label I didn’t understand and I didn’t know how to fit into it.” Ashley Harris Whaley who talks about playing volleyball with cerebral palsy: “What people usually misunderstand about CP is that the issue isn’t really with the muscles and the tendons. The issue is with the brain, which controls all of these things! So my reaction times are slower than slow. Volleyball needs you to be quicker than quick. My muscles needed my brain to always think three steps ahead in order to not miss any passes, digs or sets. And since my brain couldn’t quite manage that, quite a few balls were missed!” And James Catchpole describes the moment when he decided to stop using his prosthetic leg and walk with one leg and crutches. It proved to be an important turning point.
There is a lovely moment when Jan Grue recalls a special memory. He drove his wheelchair onto ice and a “comet’s tail of children” followed. Ali Abbas’ thought-provoking story explains that he was so badly injured in war that a journalist took his photograph and it immediately went viral. Ilya Kominsky reminisces: “Years ago, my father told me a story of a man who, when he couldn’t hear, got down on all fours and bit into a piano leg, so he could hear the music with his teeth.” Each of these stories is incredibly real and hearing them told is incredibly important for young people.
The book closes with information about the authors, who are excellent role models. Owning It is a special book that offers opportunities to gain insight into disabled lives, and to consider how the actions and attitudes of adults influenced the young people. Don’t miss it!
Brenda Marshall
This Is Us: The Story of a Family*
Emily Hamilton, pub. Bloomsbury
This charming picture book shows a family in which the younger of two daughters uses a rollator walker. For her, sometimes a place can be too noisy, at other times her words don’t come out properly. There are good days, and bad days, and she is naughty like any other child (drawing on the wall is one great example of this!) Sometimes she needs a lot of help, but she is part of a family, and they muddle through.
The story is occasionally told in little boxes, as if in photos, and is embellished throughout by, supposedly, the child’s own illustrations, complete with unorthodox spelling (the horse feeld), so this does give a sense of linking with the little girl’s inner life.
Emily Hamilton, author and illustrator (and not be confused with an American sci-fi author of the same name), may be known to some readers as she is the illustrator of The Yawnicorn, The World Made a Rainbow by Michelle Robinson and Thank You for the Little Things by Caryl Hart. A self-taught illustrator, in her words “loves to transport herself into the world of children's books so she can draw every day and wear her pyjamas to work.” She has two daughters, one with a rare genetic condition, so she uses the experiences of her own family, and absolutely understands the difficulties, and positive aspects, of life with a disabled child.
Diana Barnes
*Note from the editor: I wasn’t sure if this should be in picturebooks or non-fiction, I landed on the latter because I feel it shares a true perspective on living with a disability.
You Decide your Adventure
Bear Grylls, pub. Dorling Kindersley
Bear Grylls offers his expertise and shares his experience to navigate the reader across varied Northern Hemisphere terrain, safely traversing treacherous conditions and avoiding dangerous hazards to finally reach the extraction point. It is up to the reader to make the crucial choices, so be sure to make the right ones.
You Decide Your Adventure repackages a standard guidebook on outdoor adventure in a lively, interactive format. The reader makes their choices, turning to different pages depending on what they decide, literally navigating the book as well as different terrain: open boggy ground, a river, mountains, and following trails as weather conditions and light changes. The book offers some insight into the genuine decisions adventurers have to face, teaching survival skills along the way that will make the difference to completing an expedition. It is really helpful to put these survival skills into context, so the reader can appreciate their importance and hopefully feel encouraged to practice in their garden or out and about in the local area rather than waiting for an emergency in a remote location.
The page formatting also makes the book very accessible. Whilst full of useful information, there is a generous balance of words and pictures. Moreover, the main text is supported with easy-to-read boxouts, using different formats as necessary from paragraphs to bullet points. Bear Grylls gives some top tips throughout the journey on topics including night trekking, setting up camp, food, water obstacles, climbing, fire lighting, abseiling and building a shelter. It can’t get better than advice from someone like Bear Grylls. Jake Alexander’s illustrations greatly assist with annotated diagrams – for example the basics of how to read a compass or how to find the Polaris (North Star) at night – as well as full colour spreads, allowing the reader to appreciate the changing environments and weather conditions.
You Decide Your Adventure is fun. The reader can take risks, make wrong decisions (and face the consequences), circuitously making their way to the extraction point. It may be an imaginary expedition, but it builds knowledge and skills and communicates, above all, a passion for adventure.
The ultimate outdoor adventure manual for young people aged 9 and above.
Simon Barrett
The World’s First Human Cannonball: and Other Incredible Jobs
Mike Barfield, illus. Franziska Höllbacher, pub. Templar Books
This engaging and entertaining book explores an extraordinary variety of quirky professions, both historical and modern. Bursting with fun facts and cartoon-style illustrations, it takes readers on a journey through eight themed sections: Going Places, Body Works, Nice Work, Risky Business, Working Wonders, Work Hard Play Hard, Arts Work, and Dirty Work. Each chapter dives into unusual jobs with humour and curiosity, blending graphic novel storytelling with fascinating real-life details that are sure to captivate young readers.
Some of the jobs featured are no longer around—such as the royal 'Groom of the Stool', whose unenviable task was to assist the king with his toilet needs, or Victorian ‘pure finders’ who collected dog poo used in the leather-tanning process. Others are very much part of the modern world, like the professional fake wedding guests who are hired in Japan, dog surfing instructors from California, and food stylists who create perfect-looking fake food for the big screen (mashed potato, it turns out, makes an ideal ice cream substitute on film sets!)
The book also celebrates more inspiring roles, like the mobile libraries that travel across remote regions such as Colombia’s biblioburros (donkey libraries) and Mongolia’s book-carrying camels. Of course, no book on unusual jobs would be complete without Zazel, the world’s first human cannonball. Born into a circus family in 1860, she was tightrope walking by six and famously shot as a human cannonball 20 metres across a stage in 1877, thrilling crowds with her daring stunt.
Full of weird, wonderful, and sometimes downright gross facts, The World’s First Human Cannonball is an irresistible read for children aged 7 to 9. It's the perfect mix of education and amusement, ideal for sparking curiosity and encouraging readers to see the world of work in a whole new way.
Barbara Band