Martin Jenkins - Author
Martin Jenkins is an expert at presenting complicated subjects in entertaining and accessible ways to children. He has won several awards for his work.
He was born in Surrey in 1959 but grew up in Spain, Ireland and Kent. He attended Cambridge University as a scholar. A conservation biologist by trade, Martin worked full-time for ten years for World Conservation Monitoring Centre, writing about a range of conservation issues. Since 1990 he has worked freelance for organisations such as WWF and a number of UN bodies concerned with conservation and the environment. Martin's jobs have varied greatly: "I've been an orchid-sleuth in Germany, a timber detective in Kenya and an investigator of the chameleon trade in Madagascar."
Martin lives in Cambridge and London. Martin became involved with children's books when he was asked to advise on Walker Books' Animals at Risk series. Since then he has written several titles, including Emperor's Egg, winner of the Times Junior Information Book of the Year Award and Fly Traps! Plants that Bite Back, which was shortlisted for the same award. He has also retold Gulliver's Travels, winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, and Don Quixote.
How amazing that less than 100 years after the invention of the motor car, humans have built and launched vehicles that can leave the solar system. We’ve landed space probes on two planets, and visited Earth’s own moon six times. We’re living in the space age alright and this excellent book explains the fascinating story of space exploration clearly and vividly. From chapters looking at our solar system and its place in the universe, it goes on to explain how mankind found ways to look out into space, then how we worked out how to get there, and back again. There are chapters on surviving in space, and pages contemplating the possibility of establishing a human colony on Mars. The text is full of information but conveys a real sense of the wonders of space travel. Similarly Stephen Biesty’s cross-section illustrations are detailed, beautiful to look at and absolutely inspiring. ~ Andrea Reece
Vivid illustrations, great design and layout and clear concise explanation show why this was a well deserved Information Book Awards winner.
This fascinating book traces Titanic's history from blueprint to ocean dream and uncovers the factors that led to her tragic end. With technical diagrams, maps, passenger profiles and a timeline of the unfolding events, this 100th anniversary edition is a truly compelling account of the disaster. If you're interested in this book, you might also like: Titanic: Death on the Water by Tom and Tony Bradman The Watch that Ends the Night by Allan Wolf Titanic: An Edwardian Girl's Diary 1912 by Ellen Emerson White
Shortlisted for the 2012 Kate Greenaway Medal. The Judges said: The stunning portraits of the animals help the reader appreciate their beauty. Close-up observation and detail bring the animals to life. Flashes of colour are used sparingly but to great effect. The perspectives used, and the use of blank space, give this an extraordinary impact. A beautiful book. --------- A visually stunning and informative picture book about the world’s endangered animals. With breathtaking illustrations this large-format picture book tells us about the threats to the many endangered species on our planet and the need to prevent their extinction. The images of the tigers appear almost real and ready to jump off the page. This is a truly special book and very informative for almost any age.
Discover the greatest story ever told: the story of life on our planet, from the big bang to the dinosaurs and beyond. Before humans took their first steps, there were billions of years of vibrant and varied life on earth. Discover the fascinating story of our planet, from the formation of the universe to the first mammals, and all the incredible life that flourished in-between. Covering ice ages and fossils, life in the teeming primeval seas and the first life on land, the time of the dinosaurs and the rise of the mammals, Martin Jenkins navigates through millions of years of prehistory in enthralling and accessible style. With gorgeous art from the Kate Greenaway Medal-winning illustrator Grahame Baker Smith, this is a captivating journey through the life of our planet before we called it ours.
The perfect introduction to growing and life cycles for young children. A caterpillar hatches from a tiny white egg and munches through the leaves of its bean plant home. It gets bigger and bigger - but what will it turn into next? This beautifully illustrated picture book from award-winning author Martin Jenkins and up-and-coming artist Hannah Tolson is the fourth book in Walker's Science Storybook series, and is the perfect introduction to growing and life cycles for young children.
A beautifully illustrated picture book introducing young children to the concept of forces. Bird is building her nest. She pushes and pulls twigs into place until she's made a cosy cup, ready and waiting ... can you guess what for? This beautiful picture book is the perfect introduction to forces and the concept of pushing and pulling, and is the third in the new Science Story Book series from Walker Books. Bird Builds a Nest is illustrated by up-and-coming talent Richard Jones and written by author Martin Jenkins, the award-winning author of Can We Save the Tiger? and Ape.
A fascinating account of space exploration with lavish cross-section illustrations by Stephen Biesty, covering early astronomy, rockets, the Space Race and the future of space-travel. The extraordinary story of space exploration, from Galileo's telescope to the launch of the International Space Station - and beyond! Martin Jenkins' accessible and wide-ranging narrative covers early astronomy, the history of flight, the Space Race, the day-to-day of astronauts in the International Space Station and the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and considers where future missions might take us. Stephen Biesty's magnificent cross-section illustrations lay bare the intricate workings of space probes and shuttles, the Mars Curiosity Rover, spacesuits and Soyuz rockets. Back matter includes a comprehensive timeline and glossary of terms. With hours' worth of detail to pore over, this is the perfect gift for all space enthusiasts, young or old.
Discover animals under threat all over the world in this beautiful gift book from conservation biologist and award-winning author Martin Jenkins. From the mighty Asian elephant to the tiny rosalia longicorn beetle, creatures all over the world are under threat like never before in human history. In this timely book, conservation biologist and award-winning author Martin Jenkins introduces just a few of the species under threat, exploring why they are in danger and how we can help them. With striking graphic stamps from printmaker Tom Frost, this is a beautiful and illuminating journey through the world of endangered animals.
The perfect introduction to seasons and weather for young children. It's winter. It's cold! The squirrels are digging up acorns to eat. But what will they eat in the spring when the acorns are gone? This beautiful picture book is the perfect introduction to the seasons and how the weather changes throughout the year. The second book in the new Science Storybook series from Walker Books, illustrated by up-and-coming talent Richard Jones and written by the award-winning author Martin Jenkins.
A beautifully illustrated picture book introducing young children to the concepts of light and dark. This beautiful picture book is the perfect introduction to light and dark. Fox is hungry. She waits until it's dark and then she hunts for food, using the moon and the streetlights to find her way. The first book in the new Science Storybook series from Walker Books, illustrated by up-and-coming talent Richard Smythe and written by Martin Jenkins, the award-winning author of Can We Save the Tiger? and Ape.
The perfect introduction to growing and life-cycles for young children. A caterpillar hatches from a tiny white egg and munches through the leaves of its bean plant home. It gets bigger and bigger - but what will it turn into next? This beautifully illustrated picture book from award-winning author Martin Jenkins and up-and-coming artist Hannah Tolson is the fourth book in Walker's Science Storybook series, and is the perfect introduction to growing and life-cycles for young children.
The perfect introduction to seasons and weather for young children. It's winter. It's cold! The squirrels are digging up acorns to eat. But what will they eat in the spring when the acorns are gone? This beautiful picture book is the perfect introduction to the seasons and how the weather changes throughout the year. The second book in the new Science Storybook series from Walker Books, illustrated by up-and-coming talent Richard Jones and written by the award-winning author Martin Jenkins.
A beautifully illustrated picture book introducing young children to the concepts of light and dark. This beautiful picture book is the perfect introduction to light and dark. Fox is hungry. She waits until it's dark and then she hunts for food, using the moon and the streetlights to find her way. The first book in the new Science Storybook series from Walker Books, illustrated by up-and-coming talent Richard Smythe and written by Martin Jenkins, the award-winning author of Can We Save the Tiger? and Ape.
A beautifully illustrated picture book introducing young children to the concept of forces. Bird is building her nest. She pushes and pulls twigs into place until she's made a cosy cup, ready and waiting ... can you guess what for? This beautiful picture book is the perfect introduction to forces and the concept of pushing and pulling, and is the third in the new Science Story Book series from Walker Books. Bird Builds a Nest is illustrated by up-and-coming talent Richard Jones and written by author Martin Jenkins, the award-winning author of Can We Save the Tiger? and Ape.
How amazing that less than 100 years after the invention of the motor car, humans have built and launched vehicles that can leave the solar system. We’ve landed space probes on two planets, and visited Earth’s own moon six times. We’re living in the space age alright and this excellent book explains the fascinating story of space exploration clearly and vividly. From chapters looking at our solar system and its place in the universe, it goes on to explain how mankind found ways to look out into space, then how we worked out how to get there, and back again. There are chapters on surviving in space, and pages contemplating the possibility of establishing a human colony on Mars. The text is full of information but conveys a real sense of the wonders of space travel. Similarly Stephen Biesty’s cross-section illustrations are detailed, beautiful to look at and absolutely inspiring. ~ Andrea Reece
A visually stunning and informative picture book about the world's endangered animals. Tigers are big, beautiful and fierce. But, like many other animals, they are in danger of becoming extinct. With breathtaking illustrations this picture book tells us about the threats to the many endangered species on our planet and the need to prevent their extinction.
Vivid illustrations, great design and layout and clear concise explanation show why this was a well deserved Information Book Awards winner.
A bright, funny Nature Storybook about all kinds of frogs from prize-winning author Martin Jenkins, stylishly illustrated by Tim Hopgood. Conservation biologist Martin Jenkins takes a funny and affectionate look at frogs around the world, from the mighty West African Goliath frog and colourful South American Poison Arrow frog to the south-east Asian Flying frog and the humble frog in your garden pond. Both author and illustrator delight in the diversity and occasional weird behaviour of these small and much loved creatures. Tim Hopgood's bold and playful illustrations succeed in capturing each frog's defining characteristics, and the largest and smallest frogs in the world are drawn to scale which helps bring them to life even more. An engaging and informative book with captions, fact pages and an index.
An award-winning picture book about the Emperor penguin's parenting. The Emperor penguin is the only large animal to remain on the Antarctic mainland throughout its bitterly inhospitable winter. Once the female has laid her egg, she heads back to the sea, leaving the male to incubate it. He then spends two months standing on the freezing cold ice with the egg on his feet! This is his story.
A funny, philosophical book about the universal subject of money, by award-winning non-fiction writer Martin Jenkins. A funny, philosophical look at the universal subject of money by award-winning non-fiction writer Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. In the Yap Islands in the South Pacific money can be a stone with a hole in the middle. It can be a string of shells, a bundle of cloth or a copper slab. It's the stuff that makes the world go round and doesn't grow on trees. In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Martin Jenkins explores the history of money from its earliest beginnings to the electronic banking of today. Along the way we learn about hunter gatherers, barter, clay tablets, goat swapping, precious metals, hard bargains, IOUs, interest, coins, Romans, taxes, inflation, paper money, currencies and exchange rates. Satoshi Kitamura's quirky, satirical drawings perfectly complement the dry humour of the text and in the end we are reminded that money only exists because we believe in it.
A funny, philosophical book about the universal subject of money. In the Yap Islands in the South Pacific it can be a stone with a hole in the middle. It can be a string of shells, a bundle of cloth or a copper slab. It's the stuff that makes the world go round. That doesn't grow on trees. That can't buy you love, apparently.In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Martin Jenkins explores the history of money from its earliest beginnings to the electronic banking of today. Along the way we learn about hunter gatherers, barter, clay tablets, goat swapping, precious metals, hard bargains, IOUs, interest, coins, Romans, taxes, inflation, paper money, currencies and exchange rates. Satoshi Kitamura's quirky, satirical drawings perfectly compliment the dry humour of the text and in the end we are reminded that money only exists because we believe in it.
One of a new series of books, Read and Discover, designed to encourage children to learn about the world as they learn to read. Squishy bladderworts, sticky sundews, cobra lilies and Venus flytraps - plants that bite back are amazing!
One of a new series of books, Read and Discover, designed to encourage children to learn about the world as they learn to read. Chameleons are grumpy, pocket-sized, swivel-eyed, colour changing, long-tongued sharp-shooters.Chameleons are cool!
This is an awe-inspiring picture book about the world's great apes. Orang-utan, Chimp, Bonobo, Gorilla - the great apes are some of the biggest and most extraordinary animals on our planet. Meet all four in this stunningly illustrated, large-format picture book, and find out how the fifth great ape - the human - impacts on the lives of these increasingly rare species.
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