Reviews
There are so many incredible books available at the moment that it is impossible to read them all, no matter how hard I try! Here are my thoughts about some of the books I have read and how I think they could be used in school as well as Q and A sessions with authors and illustrators.
History Factopia!
The Factopia! series is excellent fun, connecting a whole host of facts in fantastic- and often unexpected- ways! By following ‘ye olde trail of 400 facts’, readers will discover so many things about the history of the world.
There are so many ways to enjoy the book, making it incredibly accessible and readable. Some will be tempted to read it from cover to cover, fascinated by the bright illustrations and snippets of information. Others will follow the trails laid from one page to another, unearthing the link between a louchaun and Fasil Ghebbi or a cat-sith and the oldest known ghost story.
Light-hearted in tone, these books are perfect for sharing and children are sure to enjoy fact swapping as they discover the weird and wonderful, trivial and tantalising, gross and gripping facts about history they never knew they needed to know!
History Factopia!
Paige Towler, illustrated by Andy Smith
Britannica ISBN: 978-1804660409
You can read my review of Animal Factopia! here and Gross Factopia! here
Gross FACTopia! Follow the Trail of 400 Foul Facts
Highly entertaining, completely absorbing and utterly disgusting, ‘Gross FACTopia!’ is a brilliant read. Every fact is linked to the next in ingenious ways, creating a trail of information which sometimes branches out allowing the reader to choose their own path through this cornucopia of revolting facts!
The colourful layout of each spread, combining photographs and cartoons, is instantly appealing and the trail of facts linked by dotted lines is easy to follow (or not!), presented in accessible chunks. The book is perfect for dipping in and out of or for inhaling at speed as curiosity and strength of stomach dictate!
Some of the information here is truly disgusting- the sort of facts which children are curious about and yet have that ‘yuck!’ factor like caterpillars which can shoot poo pellets, how one chicken survived a whole year without a head and how the Surinam toad gives birth. Although the table of contents and index allow readers to locate specific facts, this is one of those books best enjoyed by browsing!
‘Gross FACTopia!’ would make an excellent addition to any book corner (home or school) or library as well as being a brilliant stocking filler this Christmas!
Gross FACTopia! Follow the Trail of 400 Foul Facts
Paige Towler, illustrated by Andy Smith
Britannica Books ISBN: 978-1913750671
Blog Tour: Britannica’s Word of the Day
Being a logophile as well as a bibliophile, I was delighted to be asked to be part of the Blog Tour for this book! With my class, I look at a word a day, often linked to the texts/ subjects we are learning about, so they are always keen to learn new words and try them out on me! This book would make a very popular addition to the Book Corner, leading to plenty of discussion- and laughter!
‘Word of the Day’ is a very attractive, very informative book which offers a word every day with a pronunciation guide, definition, word class and a paragraph of information which uses the word in context. A ‘Story of the Month’ combines all the vocabulary introduced that month and there are themed sections such as ‘Love Language’ in February and ‘Digging Up the Past’ in May. Children enjoy being given a selection of words to combine in a sentence or short paragraph and can work together to produce some very creative ways of showing they understand the meaning of the given words- this gives some great examples of how it can be done!
The book contains an excellent range of words- some unusual, some commonplace, but all words which will enrich and entertain those reading it. Some words are quirky and little used- ‘egad’ or ‘flibbertigibbet’- whilst others reference more recent developments like ‘prototype’ or ‘debug’ showing how language adapts and develops like a living thing!
Each spread is accompanied by an eye catching illustration which further illuminates the word’s meaning. A pig proudly shows the ‘curlicue’ on his rear end and a floating otter shows how buoyant she is.
Pareidolia, pulchritude, pruritus… so many words to choose from, but the word I have chosen is that for the 19th October-
Cantankerous
This has been a huge favourite of mine since forever! Scrooge is cantankerous, Badger (Wind in the Willows) is cantankerous, Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas is cantankerous! It’s a wonderful word which sounds as angry and argumentative as the people/things it describes.
Britannica’s Word of the Day is a brilliant book, full of words to savour, enjoy and use! I wonder what word @edspire will choose tomorrow?
Britannica’s Word of the Day:
366 Elevating Utterances to Stretch Your Cranium and Tickle Your Humerus
Sue Macy, Patrick and Renee Kelly, illustrated by Josy Bloggs, Emily Cox and James Gibbs
Britannica ISBN: 978-1913750350