Hungry Planet: a beautiful way to think about food, abundance and responsibility

Hungry Planet: a beautiful way to think about food, abundance and responsibility

Food waste is becoming a global concern. Economists, environmentalists and human rights advocates are all on the same page: we have to stop wasting, start sharing, and get fresh food to people who need it. They’re the sort of goals everyone can get behind.

Ages 3 - Grown Ups

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Tiny The Invisible World of Microbes: a s.t.e.m. story full of gasping moments

Tiny The Invisible World of Microbes: a s.t.e.m. story full of gasping moments

This is a book full of gasping moments, the sort that deliver a sense of wonder and an appreciation for the grandeur of the natural world. And perhaps best of all, it’s lyrical to read aloud and beautiful to look at.

Ages 3 - 12

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Ada Lovelace's brilliant combination of imagination, maths and science — the first computer programmer

Ada Lovelace's brilliant combination of imagination, maths and science — the first computer programmer

ages 5 to 10 years
......... Ada is known as the first computer programmer as a result of a paper she published with Charles Babbage—he was the official author, but the footnotes were credited to her. Well, her initials were on them anyway: 'She was afraid her work wouldn’t be taken seriously if people knew it was written by a woman.'

Her life is captivatingly told, from her early years as a child fascinated with flying, to her marriage, her friendships 

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a new favourite — a detailed and delightful alphabet book about Australian history!

a new favourite — a detailed and delightful alphabet book about Australian history!

ages 5 to 10 years
When you’re young, history is learned in snatches—a story here, an idea there—all designed to offer a sense of one's own place in the history that is being made today. Trouble is, the snatches approach can sometimes inadvertently lead to whitewashed or selective understanding.

If you’re looking to share snatches of Australian history that are respectful, balanced, and full of interest, M is for Mutiny is perfect.

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the growth of a baby from conception to birth carefully explained; perfect for soon-to-be older siblings

the growth of a baby from conception to birth carefully explained; perfect for soon-to-be older siblings

ages 2 to 10 years
There’s quite a collection of pregnancy/new baby books on my shelves (favourites: this one  and this one) and I’m forever on the lookout for others with a fresh and interesting approach.

This one, 9 Months, is great:

Each month of a pregnancy—from conception to birth—is given a two-page spread that clearly sets out the stages of a baby’s growth.

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8 books with maps to help children understand borders and countries

8 books with maps to help children understand borders and countries

One of our favourite family pastimes is planning trips. (We plan many more trips than we actually take!) Ivy gets into it too, she has plans to see sharks in the Great Australian Bite, visit the Eiffel Tower and go to Japan—no prizes for guessing where we’ve been talking about going lately.JAs well as trip planning, books with maps are great for learning about borders and sovereignty. Those are tricky concepts, but

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wonderful, accessible history about one of Australia's great pride and joys

wonderful, accessible history about one of Australia's great pride and joys

ages 2 to 8 years
One of my uncles was a pilot for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) a few years ago—it was a terribly romantic profession. The goodness and ingenuity of the RFDS is widely agreed upon all around Australia. But, as Australia continues to be quickly urbanised, fewer of us have personal connections and stories about the Flying Doctors and the pilots and the nurses. That’s where Meet the Flying Doctors comes in

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