AGES 5 TO 8

Anno's mysterious multiplying jar
Anno, Mitsumasa and Masaichiro (Bodley Head, 1982, 44pp.)
Inside the jar was water which became a sea, in which there was one island, and on the island were two countries, and in each country there were three mountains.... This story is at first presented with pictures, but then is retold with a dot representing each of the objects, and with the mathematical equation shown (2 x 1 = 2, and so on). This is an effective way of showing how big numbers can become, as the number of dots will not fit on the pages before we get to the ten jars in each box.
(MATHEMATICS)

Strawberry
Coldrey, Jennifer (Stopwatch Book, A. & C. Black, 1988, 25pp.)
Shows how the strawberry plant has roots, grows flower buds, develops fruit, and how new plants grow from runners. The text is clear but the real strength of the book is the full colour photographs by George Bernard, which illustrate each point admirably. Occasional drawings highlight some points.
(PLANTS)

The magic school bus at the waterworks
Cole, Joanna (Scholastic, 1986, 40pp.)
This book takes a rather fantastical look at a town's water supply. It is written from the perspective of a pupil whose class has the strangest teacher in the school. She makes the class grow mould on bread! And organises an excursion to the waterworks. On the way, the school bus passes through a tunnel and changes, and the children become part of the water cycle, being evaporated up into clouds, falling as rain, and eventually emerging from the school washroom taps. As well as their magic journey, the book presents 'water facts' that the children have to find. The lively full-colour illustrations by Bruce Degen are liberally sprinkled with bubbles containing the children's amusing comments. The story moves well, and is fun without seeming contrived.

The magic school bus inside the Earth, by the same team (1987), uses a similar approach to explore the rocks of the Earth's crust and right inside the Earth. An author, illustrator and reader discussion at the end draws attention to the fact that a bus would melt inside the Earth, and other physical impossibilities in the fantasy.

The magic school bus inside the human body, by the same team (1989), has a similar treatment but does not provide such a good overview as the subject is much more complicated. The quiz at the end is a more effective way of drawing attention to the liberties in the illustrations than the list in Waterworks.

A television series and several spin-off series of books have ensured this series’ continuing popularity. See www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/books for a full listing.
(OUR WORLD; HUMAN BIOLOGY)

Robert Crowther's amazing pop-up house of inventions
Crowther, Robert (Walker, 2000, 12 openings)
Robert Crowther has been creating wonderful pop-up books for many years, most notably The most amazing hide-and-seek alphabet book. In this introduction to the history of technology, he uses his paper engineering skills, room by room, through a house. Covering the kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom and garage, flaps are lifted, doors opened and dials turned to reveal when various appliances, machines and other common innovations and traditions were invented or first used.
(TECHNOLOGY)

Bat loves the night
Davies, Nicola; illustrated by Sarah Fox Davies (Read and Wonder, Walker, 2001, 28pp.)
A simple narrative follows one night’s activities of a pipistrelle bat, as it flies out between broken tiles, under trees and over bushes catching insects, and then returns to its roost and its baby. A secondary text in distinct font provides additional information on echolocation, food and roosting sites. Delicate illustrations by Sarah Fox Davies use a cream background for the day and pale blue for night. Reissued with an accompanying CD in 2008.
(ANIMALS)

Big blue whale
Davies, Nicola; illustrated by Nick Maland (Read and Wonder, Walker, 1997, 32pp.)
This picture book about blue whales has been thoughtfully and unusually designed. Variations in the size of the lettering and snippets of information which follow the lines of the illustrations create visual interest and add emphasis. The text is well-written by a qualified zoologist and the illustrator, Nick Maland, has used cross-hatching effectively to create texture and movement. Reissued with an accompanying CD in 2008.
(ANIMALS)

Mount St Helens: The smoking mountain
Furgang, Kathy (Volcanoes of the World, PowerKids Press, Rosen, 2001)
The Volcanoes of the World series covers six different volcanoes which have experienced historically important eruptions, some recently such as this title or others in the past (eg, Mt Vesuvius). Each double page spread includes one full page of illustration and the facing page is simply worded text in large font on the relevant topic. The spectacular photographs combined with coloured pages and a simple glossary and index provide a very attractive and accessible introduction to a fascinating subject. Also Krakatoa: history's loudest volcano.
(OUR WORLD)

I like monkeys because
Hansard, Peter; illustrated by Patricia Casey (Read and Wonder, Walker Books, 1993, 28pp.)
Introduces the variety of monkeys in lively language, in recognition that young children learn through all their senses, and puts into words the types of monkey behaviour children can see at the zoo. Illustrations (by Patricia Casey) in soft watercolour and line are equally lively. The different monkey types are labelled.
(ANIMALS)

Happy birth day!
Harris, Robie H.; illustrated by Michael Emberley (Walker, 1996, 26pp.)
In this large format picture book, a mother tells her child exactly what happened on the day of her birth. From the moment of emergence into the world, the events of that first day – the first breath, the cutting of the cord, the first breastfeed – are lovingly described. Accompanying the text are evocative but accurate paintings by Michael Emberley of the newborn infant, complete with screwed-up face, surrounded by mother, father, doctor and doting relatives.
(HUMAN BIOLOGY)

The pebble in my pocket: A history of our Earth
Hooper, Meredith; illustrated by Chris Coady (Viking, 1996, 32pp.)
Focusing on the pebble a child can hold, Hooper describes geological processes from a time of volcanic activity 480 million years ago, through uplift and erosion, sedimentation, another cycle of uplift and erosion, and changes in living things over that time. The story is told in simple but evocative language that should enable a young child to comprehend in broad terms the great changes that each part of the Earth has undergone. Coloured illustrations by Chris Coady show changes in scenery and some of the animals from different ages.

In a similar way The drop in my drink: The story of water on our planet (Viking, 1998, 32pp.) uses evocative language to show how the same water has cycled and recycled from ocean to sky to land and through living things through millions of years of change.
(GENERAL SCIENCE)

The emperor's egg
Jenkins, Martin; illustrated by Jane Chapman (Read and Wonder, Walker, 2000, 31pp.)
Using storytelling techniques Jenkins introduces young children to the wonder of how the male emperor penguin incubates his mate's egg through the Antarctic winter while the mate is away feeding, and how the female returns to feed the chick while the male goes off to sea. A secondary text in italics, in lines that flow through the illustrations, adds other items of information. The illustrations by Jane Chapman have plenty of life and form part of an excellent colour design. Due to be reissued with an accompanying CD at the end of 2008.
(ANIMALS)

The beaver family book
Kalas, Sybille and Klaus (North South Books, 1999, 48pp.)
This refreshingly alive and personal story tells how three baby beavers were taken from northern Sweden to Beaverbrook in Austria to be re-established there and studied. The book gives a few insights into the pleasures and difficulties of studying wild animals, and many insights into how beavers live. The coloured photographs are varied, interesting and well arranged. There are several brilliant touches of design, one being the pattern of the beaver's tail on the endpapers. Translated from German by Patricia Crampton.

The penguin family book and The polar bear family book, also co-written by Sybille Kalas, have a similarly fresh approach in showing the life cycle of a penguins and polar bears.
(ANIMALS)

I love guinea pigs
King-Smith, Dick; illustrated by Anita Jeram (Read and Wonder, Walker Books, 1994, 28pp.)
Written with humour as the personal statement of someone with a life long interest in guinea pigs, the text covers, very briefly, the history of European knowledge of guinea pigs, the varieties available, how to look after them, the sounds they make, and what the newborn are like. The line and wash coloured illustrations by Anita Jeram show particularly good lifelike postures of both guinea pigs and people and their brief notes provide additional information without interrupting the flow of the text.

All pigs are beautiful (1995) is a similar lighthearted and personal account about domestic pigs. (Like the film Babe it is likely to discourage an interest in eating pork.) Reissued with an accompanying CD in 2008.
(ANIMALS)

Yakkin the swamp tortoise: Book 1 – The most dangerous year
Kuchling, Guundie and Gerald (Chelonia Enterprises, 1995, 32pp.)
The swamp tortoise is endangered. It lives in seasonal swamps on clay pans in the Swan River Valley. The biology is described through the realistic story of one young tortoise, from hatching through the seasons of the first year, in an easy to read text. Linocut illustrations have bold lines and bright colours and are complemented by a bold font.

In Book 2 – Survival (Era 1997) Yakkin's fate is followed through three years. She survives bushfire and a cat's interest, but brick pits drain the swamp and she has to leave. Fortunately a family picks her up on a road and she is taken to a special nature reserve. The text reads as well but a lighter font does not go so well with the linocuts. Endnotes provide information without disrupting the story.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

The snake book
Ling, Mary and Mary Atkinson (Dorling Kindersley, 1997, 28pp.)
Each snake featured in this book has been placed in a photographer's white box to be photographed. The effect given when the book is opened is to see a very realistic vivid image of a snake across a white double-page spread. Snakes chosen are both venomous and non-venomous but do not include any Australian examples despite some of the most poisonous snakes in the world originating here. Text is very simple with a few more facts about each species given on the last page. Photography by Frank Greenaway and Dave King.
(ANIMALS)

Until I met Dudley
McGough, Roger; illustrated by Chris Riddell (Angus & Robertson, 1997, 28pp.)
With two such highly regarded creators of children's books as Roger McGough and illustrator Chris Riddell, this book could hardly lose. Narrated in the first person, the small girl telling the story explains how she used to think various gadgets worked pre-Dudley. Dragons toasting bread and snakes as vacuum cleaners are just two illustrated in glorious nonsensical detail. After meeting Dudley the learned bespectacled dog, the real mechanism behind these and other inventions is explained to her. A final concluding touch of genius is the last double-page spread showing a great many silly creatures, which featured earlier in the fantastical imaginings of the little girl, waving goodbye and leaving the book. Non-fiction text compiled by Moira Butterfield and Douglas Maxwell.
(TECHNOLOGY)

Polar bear cubs
Matthews, Downs (Hippo Books, Scholastic, 1990)
A well-written and very readable text follows the first two years in the life of a pair of cubs. Illustrated with an excellent choice of photographs by Dan Guravich. Suitable for reading aloud to younger children.
(ANIMALS)

Something about water
Matthews, Penny; illustrated by Tom JELLETT (Omnibus, 2009, unpaged)
It is not often that a reader comes across an information book written in an entertaining manner, especially one that makes them laugh out loud. However Something about water is just such a book. Largely presented in comic strip format, the narrator Robbie tells readers his honest unimpressed opinion about recycling. However Robbie becomes fascinated by the fact that the amount of water on the earth is finite and that it has been recycled for millennia. Explanations of the water cycle, the water composition of plants and animals, the percentage of water in the oceans and the statistics of average daily water consumption are all accurately presented but in a very reader-friendly manner. Instead of being lectured, readers are amused and entertained while they learn important facts. The illustrator’s sense of humour also shines through in the cartoon-style drawings in the narrative boxes and in the collages, diagrams and endpapers. This is a non-fiction book that children will find engaging, funny and informative.
(OUR WORLD. AUSTRALIAN)

Into the deep
Norman, Dr Mark and David Paul (Black Dog Books, 2010, 32pp.)
This 25.5cm square paperback only uses conventional left-to-right double-page spreads for the first two and last openings. The rest of the book is to be read vertically by rotating the book so that the left-hand page is at the top. Down the side of each spread is a depth chart and placed at the appropriate depths are photos of the fascinating creatures that live in the ocean. As the distance from the surface gets deeper, the background of the pages changes until it is black. Simple captions identify each creature and give brief information about them while the distances at the edge of the page are put into perspective by occasional facts about human activity at certain depths, such as how deep scuba divers can go and how far deep-sea fishing nets reach. The outstanding features of this book are the unusual layout and design and the stunning photographs.
(OUR WORLD; ANIMALS)

Sand swimmers: The secret life of Australia's dead heart
Oliver, Narelle (Lothian, 1999, 32pp.)
Providing aesthetic pleasure and a calm and reflective setting, this is an outstanding book on Australia's desert animals, from insects to mammals. Brown colours predominate and the reader is drawn in to find what is not immediately obvious. It is about the desert's normal state rather than the flowering after rain, and it introduces the human context, contrasting Aboriginal knowledge with Sturt's despair at the lifeless centre. Unfortunately, the use of lino-cuts limits the clarity of the illustrations and some animals carry names no longer current.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

My pop-up body book
Petty, William (text) Jennie Maizels (illus.) (Walker Books, 2010, unpaged)
Young children usually love pop-up books and this one should prove popular. Each double-page spread covers a different aspect of the human organism entitled My Beginning, My Head, My Chest, My Tummy and My Moving Body. Within these generalised sections are tabs to pull, wheels to turn and flaps to unfold, all revealing much more information than the few captions on the page. Some of the paper engineering is very clever such as the face unfolding to reveal the muscular structure on the left-hand side and the skull on the right. While fairly robust, the book still needs to be treated with care to preserve all the correct folds.
(HUMAN BIOLOGY)

Disaster!
Platt, Richard; illustrated by Richard Bonson (Viking, 1997, 32pp.)
Each double-page spread of this large-format book is devoted to a particular disaster which actually occurred. Detailed, historically accurate illustrations, often with cross-sections or following a time sequence, are surrounded by captions and paragraphs of text. Maps and boxes of scientific facts explain why the disaster happened. Topics covered include volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones (Tracy is the historical example discussed in detail), plagues, fires, floods, landslides, the sinking of the Titanic and the crash of the Hindenberg. Illustrated by Richard Bonson.
(OUR WORLD)

Stephen Biesty's incredible cross-sections
Platt, Richard (Viking, 1992, 48pp.)
This ground-breaking book, originally published by Dorling Kindersley, was the first of the recent spate using a very large format with detailed cross-sections of various inventions. Each double-page shows a cutaway or sliced drawing revealing the inner workings of a building or vehicle. Detailed captions placed around the drawing label relevant parts and explain the components which make up the whole construction. Topics include castles, cathedrals, skyscrapers, coal mines, oil rigs, various ships, planes and trains.
(TECHNOLOGY)

Once I was a cardboard box… but now I am a book about polar bears
Poitier, Anton (text) Melvyn Evans (Five Mile Press, 2009, 24pp.)
Originally published in the UK by Potter Books, this book and its companion, Once I was a comic… but now I’m a book about tigers, are written by well-known author Tony Potter. The books are produced totally of recycled paper and board and the dual text explains to readers all about polar bears in the main text and how recycling of paper is done on the right-hand side of each double-page spread. The design and layout are excellent with large bold font, photos of polar bears and drawings combining to be clear and engaging. This clever concept works surprisingly well and young readers will be well-informed about both polar bears and recycling.
(OUR WORLD; ANIMALS; TECHNOLOGY)

Uneversaurus
Potts, Adrian (David Fickling Books, 2006, unpaged)
Although a picture book, some of the vocabulary, concepts and jokes are more suitable for an older readership. Beginning with the obvious statement “No human has ever seen a dinosaur”, the text then asks “So how do we know what they looked like?” The book shows how clues on fossils help scientists put the skeletons of these creatures together and extrapolate from the skeleton to a realistic image of the living creature. But it then launches into a very good discussion of characteristics of animal coverings such as colour, camouflage, shading and texture and how these features may possibly have applied to dinosaur appearance. The illustrations then show imaginative options such as a tiger-striped Tyrannosaurus, a red Stegosaurus and a flock of multi-coloured Pterodactyls. Readers are urged to use their imaginations to guess what these amazing creatures may have looked like and the final endpaper provides a drawing of an Amargasaurus for them to colour in however they like.
(PREHISTORIC TIMES; ANIMALS)

Pobblebonk the frog
Reilly, Pauline (Kangaroo Press, 1996, 32pp.)
Information about frogs is given in a story about a particular frog with human interest supplied by children catching tadpoles. Finishes with four pages of facts about frogs. The concentration on one type of frog avoids the confusion that covering too many varied lifestyles can cause for this age group. The format is unpretentious with soft pencil and wash illustrations by Will Rolland.

This is one in a long series of books by this team about different Australian animals. The series is important because it introduces so much of our wildlife in a simple, accessible format. The slip-up in The Koala of depicting a front opening pouch is quite uncharacteristic of the series.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Fungi
Rotter, Charles (Creative Education (Images), 1994, 40pp.)
Superb colour photographs illustrate every page. Each one takes up a whole page or double-page spread and they include magnifications and close-ups as well as more common mushroom and toadstools. The straightforward text is relegated to boxes, each of which has a translucent background so that the detail in the photo still shows through. This attention to design and detail has created a visually stunning book.
(PLANTS)

Dinosaurs
Sabuda, Robert and Matthew Reinhart (Encyclopedia Prehistorica, Walker Books, 2005, unpaged)
The first book in the 'Encyclopedia Prehistorica' series, Dinosaurs contains over 35 amazing pop-ups by renowned paper engineer Robert Sabuda and his associate. There are six double-page spreads which each open to reveal a large pop-up prehistoric creature. Around the sides of each page are more opening flaps containing smaller pop-ups. The information about all of these animals and their time on earth is contained in captions and within the flaps. This book was followed by two more volumes in the series, Sharks and other sea-monsters and Megabeasts. Due to the number of moving parts, the recommended age for these books is five and up.
(PREHISTORIC TIMES)

What Darwin saw: The journey that changed the world
Schanzer, Rosalyn; (National Geographic, 2009, 48pp)
Rosalyn Schanzer has been fascinated by Charles Darwin for some time. To research this book she not only retraced his route in South America and the Galapagos Islands but also read his journals, letters and books and pored over his drawings. The result is a picture book in graphic novel format with much of the text in speech bubbles because it is a modern paraphrase of Darwin’s own words. The result is a colourful, informative, reader-friendly and entertaining account of the voyage of the Beagle and the important discoveries made along the way. The last few pages recount the lengthy process involved before The Origin of Species was finally published and the momentous upheaval it caused in both scientific and religious circles. This is a book for young readers to pore over with its format and detailed illustrations.
(FAMOUS SCIENTISTS)

Starry messenger: A book depicting the life of a famous scientist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, physicist Galileo Galilei
Sis, Peter (Farrar Straus Giroux, Frances Foster Books, 1996, 36pp.)
This is a picture book that can be read by (or to) several age groups. Each double page usually contains only one paragraph of text relating the story of Galileo, his astronomical discoveries and his trial by the Church. However this simple text is augmented and extended by the large medieval-style paintings and the additional sections of prose written in handwritten script. These include extra facts about Galileo's life and quotes from his writings. The more the reader delves into the extra details the bigger the picture that is drawn about this remarkable scientist. The final double page talking about his pardon by the Church 300 years after his death is particularly moving.
(FAMOUS SCIENTISTS; SPACE)

How do I know it's an ant? A book about animals
Stodart, Eleanor (Envirobook, 2002, 32pp.)
With watercolour illustrations, one paragraph of text and informative captions and labels per page, this book introduces 24 animal types, drawing attention to the features that help us tell one from another. A further 17 are covered briefly on one page. Most examples can be seen in Australia. The introduction draws attention to major features to look for, such as segments, legs and feelers, in terms a young child can understand. The rudiments of classification are introduced through colour-coded headings which indicate whether the animal has an internal skeleton, exoskeleton or no skeleton. Sizes are indicated.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

One less fish
Toft, Kim Michelle and Allan Sheather (University of Queensland Press, 1997, 32pp.)
This cautionary tale is told in rhyme. In a progression from 12 to zero each type of fish in turn loses one of its number due to a different problem in the environment (explained in a subtext in small font). The illustrations have brilliant colours and give the book great aesthetic appeal. The rhyming text is backed up by an introduction, a description of the 12 types of fish, and a glossary.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Aranea: A story about a spider
Wagner, Jenny (Kestrel, 1975, 32pp.)
Tells the story, without any anthropomorphism, of how a garden spider coped with a sudden rainstorm. The attractive black and white illustrations by Ron Brooks are rather stylised.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Is a blue whale the biggest thing there is?
Wells, Robert E. (Albert Whitman, 1993, 32pp.)
Using the blue whale as the standard unit of measure, this humorous picture book aims to show the young reader just how big the universe really is. Ludicrous drawings of jars containing 100 blue whales, towers of 100 Mount Everests and bags of 100 planet Earths try to give the reader a feel for how enormous it is. Apart from one page using feet and tons, exact measurements are not given.
(OUR WORLD)

A drop of water: A book of science and wonder
Wick, Walter (Scholastic, 1997, 40pp.)
Walter Wick is the photographer behind the very popular 'I Spy' series of picture puzzle books. In this scientific picture book, he uses his considerable skills to introduce young readers to the properties of water. Superb freeze-frame photographs of drops and splashes, bubbles of amazing shapes, snowflakes and dew-encrusted spiders' webs are supplemented with a simple straightforward text about molecules, surface tension, water vapour, ice and the water cycle, among other water-related topics.
(OUR WORLD)

What makes me me?
Winston, Robert (Dorling Kindersley, 2004, 96p.)
This well-designed, extensively illustrated book provides an excellent explanation about the human body for young readers. Four sections answer the leading questions: What am I made of? What makes me unique? How does my brain work? What kind of person am I? The contents cover the chemical composition and systems of the body, genetics, the brain including memory and intelligence and personality. Short sections called 'Test Yourself' are included at relevant stages for the reader to quiz themselves about such aspects as dominant and recessive genetic traits, memory and different types of intelligence. The logical arrangement of the subject matter combined with clear layout, photographs of child subjects, short sections of text and language that addresses the reader made this a winner of the Royal Society's Aventis Junior Prize in 2005.
(HUMAN BIOLOGY)