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Find out moreLisa Rajan writes children’s books that raise aspiration, promote ambition and challenge gender stereotypes. She is the author of the Collins Big Cat Tara Binns titles, which introduce a range of STEM careers to a primary school audience through exciting adventure stories.
A scientist herself, Lisa has a BSc in Biotechnology and an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College, London. She has worked in scientific research, scientific publishing and medical copywriting. She was an elected member on Southwark Council from 2002 to 2016, and was political lead for Environment and for Children’s Services between 2006 and 2010.
She is married with three children and lives in south London. In her spare time, she runs marathons dressed as Wonder Woman.
This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini- series is written by Lisa Rajan. Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini-series is written by Lisa Rajan. Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini series is written by Lisa Rajan. Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
Tara Binns never knows what will happen when she opens her old dressing up box in the attic. In this first of her anti-stereotypical adventures she suddenly finds herself the pilot of a jet plane flying high above the ocean and scarily responsible for the lives of passengers and crew. Luckily she is always accompanied on these adventures by Ayesha and Ortez who encourage her to have faith in her abilities and work through the problems ahead. Even a tropical storm and an emergency landing can be tackled by this quick witted heroine. Aimed at readers ready for longer chapters with more complex ideas and with a diverse and representative cast of characters this colourfully illustrated and engaging series is an excellent choice for the classroom or library. I can see that Tara Binns is all set to be the Mr Ben of this generation and this time we have a female role model! David McKee’s book and TV series no doubt inspired many boys in the 1980’s to reach for their dreams- whatever they may be. But as the WISE campaign for gender balance in STEM professions, which endorses this series from Collins Big Cat, tells us: only 8% of girls go on to study STEM subjects and only 22% of women are employed in STEM careers. Tara Binns could help to change that and inspire girls to open their eyes to their full potential! Each story in this book banded series has a reading guide at the back providing practical support and stimulating activity ideas. There is a full teaching guide and lesson plan available on the website https://collins.co.uk/pages/tara-binns and WISE are providing real life case studies for each of the careers featured. Double-quick Doctor and Big Idea Engineer are available now and 3 more STEM career titles will follow later in the year.
Tara Binns never knows what job her old dressing up box in the attic will chose for her. In this series of inspirational fast-paced adventures, she finds herself magically transported to a different setting and facing some tough responsibilities. In the A&E department she will need to think and act quickly to save lives. Luckily she is always accompanied on these adventures by Ayesha and Ortez who encourage her to have faith in her abilities and work alongside her. Even a deadly allergy can be averted by our problem solving heroine. Each title in this colourfully illustrated and engaging series progresses to another levelled book band offering more depth and detail to the story to keep young readers hooked and making this an excellent choice for the classroom or library. I can see that Tara Binns is all set to be the Mr Ben of this generation and this time we have a female role model! David McKee’s book and TV series no doubt inspired many boys in the 1980’s to reach for their dreams- whatever they may be. But as the WISE campaign for gender balance in STEM professions, which endorses this series from Collins Big Cat, tells us: only 8% of girls go on to study STEM subjects and only 22% of women are employed in STEM careers. Tara Binns could help to change that and inspire girls to open their eyes to their full potential! Each story in this book banded series has a reading guide at the back providing practical support and stimulating activity ideas. There is a full teaching guide and lesson plan available on the website https://collins.co.uk/pages/tara-binns and WISE are providing real life case studies for each of the careers featured. High-Flying Pilot and Big Idea Engineer are available now and 3 more STEM career titles will follow later in the year.
Tara comes up with a big safety idea, but can it save her own skin and can she prevent a fatal crash? The old dressing up box in the attic propels Tara Binns into a new job each time she lifts the lid. She never knows what challenges she will face and we can all enjoy finding out with her. Luckily she is always accompanied on these pacy adventures by Ayesha and Ortez who work alongside her and encourage faith in her own abilities. Her powers of deduction are really tested here by problems on the factory floor and inspire her to think like an engineer. She comes up with a design solution for personal protection, but can she act in time to avert a terrible accident? Each title in this colourfully illustrated, inclusive series progresses to another levelled book band offering more depth and engaging detail to develop readers’ thinking, inference and reasoning skills alongside this inspiring, anti- stereotypical heroine. An excellent choice for the classroom or library. I can see that Tara Binns is all set to be the Mr Ben of this generation and this time we have a female role model! David McKee’s book and TV series no doubt inspired many boys in the 1980’s to reach for their dreams- whatever they may be. But as the WISE campaign for gender balance in STEM professions, which endorses this series from Collins Big Cat, tells us: only 8% of girls go on to study STEM subjects and only 22% of women are employed in STEM careers. Tara Binns could help to change that and inspire girls to open their eyes to their full potential! Each story in this book banded series has a reading guide at the back providing practical support and stimulating activity ideas. There is a full teaching guide and lesson plan available on the website https://collins.co.uk/pages/tara-binns and WISE are providing real life case studies for each of the careers featured. High-Flying Pilot and Double-Quick Doctor are available now and 3 more STEM career titles will follow later in the year.
Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. When Tara Binns opens up her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns finds herself in a busy veterinary practice, and she's one of the vets! While helping to treat a dog that has swallowed a padlock, a new emergency develops - a poorly hamster has escaped its cage, leaving its owner distraught! Can Tara help to find the hamster... and work out why that snake is looking so bloated? This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini-series is written by Lisa Rajan. Copper/Band 12 books provide more complex plots and longer chapters that develop reading stamina. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. When Tara Binns opens up her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns is a product designer! She is in the middle of being shown the latest designs for anti-gravity boots when there is a catastrophic electrical failure. Tara and her colleagues are trapped inside a smouldering building with no way out. Can Tara use her inventive skills to save everyone inside? This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini-series is written by Lisa Rajan. Topaz/Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. When Tara Binns opens up her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns is a marine biologist, and she's in the middle of an important diving expedition! A motorboat has sunk to the ocean bed and the team are worried it will start leaking oil and harming the local sea life. Can they work as a team to find a way of raising the fuel containers safely before they leak? And what are those dark shadows looming towards them from the depths...? This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini-series is written by Lisa Rajan. Ruby/Band 14 books give increasing opportunities for children to develop their skills of inference and deduction. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. When Tara Binns opens up her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns becomes a palaeontologist on a dig to find dinosaur fossils! The team has very tight deadline to see if their site is of scientific interest before the bulldozers come in and an adventure park is built. The palaeontologists feel sure there is something new waiting to be discovered, but will they be able to prove their hunch before it's too late? This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini-series is written by Lisa Rajan. Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. When Tara Binns opens up her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns finds herself on the Minerva-7 spacecraft! The astronauts are on a rescue mission to save their colleague Ortez, who has been stranded on the Moon. Can they get Ortez safely back to the Minerva-7 before a meteor storm destroys their luna lander and leaves them all stranded in space? This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini series is written by Lisa Rajan. Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. When Tara Binns opens up her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns finds herself in a science lab - and she's one of the scientists! The team are working against the clock to complete and submit research for a competition that will, if they win, allow them to remain open. But where has the lead scientist disappeared to, and will they be able to complete the experiment in time without her? This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini- series is written by Lisa Rajan. Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. When Tara Binns opens up her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns becomes a doctor in a busy hospital, helping children who have hurt themselves. When one child suddenly struggles to breathe, can she use her deduction skills to work out the problem in time? This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini-series is written by Lisa Rajan. Topaz/Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. When Tara Binns opens up her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns becomes a crash-test engineer, conducting safety tests to ensure airbags in cars are working safely and experimenting with new ideas. Will her new ideas or lessons in health and safety help to avert a potentially fatal crash? This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini-series is written by Lisa Rajan. Ruby/Band 14 books give increasing opportunities for children to develop their skills of inference and deduction. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. When Tara Binns opens up her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns finds herself in the pilot's seat of a passenger plane - and she's the pilot! When a big storm appears ahead of them, will Tara be able to think calmly and logically to avert disaster? This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini-series is written by Lisa Rajan. Copper/Band 12 books provide more complex plots and longer chapters that develop reading stamina. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
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