nonfiction—just the facts, beautifully told
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
ages 2 to 8 years
A lovely gift book, this is a collection of poems and stunning pictures of animals from all over the world. Some are familiar and much loved, some obscure, some much maligned—all are imbued with wonder.
This is a terrific collection of women who had an impact in the public sphere. Some will certainly be familiar, and some may be new to you and yours. It's an exuberant look at thirteen women who changed your life—and you might not even know it!
ages 4 to 12 years (and up!)
Set in Australia, Amazing Animals is great non-fiction with cross generational appeal. There are lots of quick facts to grab, plus longer passages of information, both chock full of interesting information. It's permanently on our side table.
ages 2 years to adult
A wonderful coffee table book; captivating art and words with meaning for adults at least as much as for children. 20 illustrators bring their very best work and perfectly compliment 20 inspiring quotes.
ages early childhood and upwards
ages 4 to 12 years
I confess that I'm not a big fan of the whole hero culture that we seem to have going. Too often the ‘heroes’ aren’t heroic and are anything but role model material. But Peaceful Heroes is a collection of super-short biographies of people who have impacted the world positively and peacefully.
A brilliant hand shadow video + a couple of fun books to make your own hand shadows on a lazy evening - for all ages!
Have you seen this remarkable—though gruelling—webpage? It’s called Where the children sleep and it shows a series of images of sleeping children who have been displaced by the war in Syria. There are 22 images, each with a few words about the child's circumstances.
[ ... ]
For a less gruelling but still thought-provoking look at the wildly disparate sleeping places of children around the world we’d recommend Where Children Sleep. (The book and the web page are unrelated even though they have similar names.) I’ve seen many a child and adult sit and pore over the pages of this breathtaking book.
ages 2 to 8 years
Home as any place, as a reflection of who we are, as something that binds us to our community, as something unique and special—all of this is reflected in Ellis’ charming illustrations and simple words. The beauty of one's home as a place to be nurtured and to grow is poignantly on show throughout.
all ages, newborn to grownup
This book is a collection of photos from National Geographic that show people collecting and drinking water. Every photo is respectful of both the subjects and of water generally. There are no photos of water being wasted or even used recreationally. Wonderful for children, but adults will also enjoy very much enjoy it.
Every once in a while, we each need something to jolt us out of the everyday and remind us that we each have it in us to do and be great. Amazing Babes does that - it's a book that's lovely to touch and to feel, beautiful to look at and simply inspiring to read.
ages 0 to >100 years
This is a brilliantly informative and fun book. It’s all about scale. Scale is tricky to understand for young children, but numbers can get so big that it becomes almost impossible to get a sense of scale even for older children, teens and adults. That's where this book comes in.
ages 4 years to grownup
If you want to see a 1-3 year old child’s eyes glisten and their cheeks turn tight with grinning, their body tense in anticipation and their little hands curl in and out ready to reach out and touch – this is the book for you! You’ll need to be prepared to read it again and again and to constantly go back to a favourite page – but what a joyful time that will be. I know that because our Ivy is on to her 5th reading in a row!
ages newborn to about 4 years
Written by Dick King-Smith (Babe, The Water Horse, the Sophie series), I Love Guinea Pigs is part personal reminiscing, part how-to, part general information, and completely captivating for young guinea-pig owners or aspiring owners.
ages baby to about 12 years
ages 4 to 10 years
Set in Africa. Essentially an alphabet book, Jambo Means Hello assigns a Swahili word to each letter of the English alphabet. And along with the words goes a short paragraph explaining something about culture, traditions and everyday life in Africa.
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