LoveReading4Kids Says
Clive Gifford is renowned for the quality and accuracy of his non-fiction books and has been nominated for, and won, many awards for his books. The illustrations are bright and child friendly making this a great book to dip into or to pore over. The point is made in the book that comparing things is a great way to learn about them, as well as being useful it’s also fun.
It’s not often you can see the biggest, tallest and longest creatures on the earth in one double page spread, or how fast different creatures run. It’s no wonder you can never catch your pet cat – they run faster than humans! Still on cats, I had no idea they contained less water in their bodies than dogs! Subjects covered range from changing seasons, to flying high, mighty machines and tiny creatures plus many more.
A book I am sure many youngsters will get a great deal of pleasure from, as well as learning lots along the way.
Tricia Adams
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My First Book of Comparisons Synopsis
Did you know that a blue whale weighs about as much as 20 T-Rex dinosaurs? Or that a guinea pig is 70% water?
This exciting picture book is full of these and many more fascinating fact nuggets. Turn the pages and compare the fastest machines, the tallest buildings, the biggest animals, the world’s highest fliers and much, much more. You can trace the journey lines to discover which animal travels furthest, read the clues to match the fossil print to the dinosaur, or count up the construction workers to see how many humans it takes to measure the height of a mighty tunneling machine.
Using striking visual comparisons, quiz questions and bite-sized facts, this book, aimed at children aged 5 and older, builds maths skills and helps readers develop their understanding of the world around them.
Children will be amazed at what they discover in My First Book of Comparisons and will have plenty of unforgettable facts to dazzle their friends and family with.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781782409359 |
| Publication date: |
3rd March 2020 |
| Author: |
Clive Gifford |
| Illustrator: |
Ana Seixas |
| Publisher: |
Ivy Kids |
| Format: |
Hardback |
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About Clive Gifford
Clive Gifford is an award-winning author of over 200 books specializing in engaging and entertaining non-fiction books for children and young adults. His books have garnered much praise and won Children's Choice, NAPPA Gold Star, TES Book of the Year and Smithsonian awards. Refugees was shortlisted for The British Book Awards whilst Discover the Extreme World was on the four-book shortlist for the 2012 Blue Peter Book Award. In October 2018, Clive won The Sainsbury's Children's Book Award for The Book Of Comparisons. He also won The Blue Peter Book Award 2019 for The Colours of History.
With a lifelong interest in geopolitics, ecology and the environment, Clive has authored a number of titles on ecology and global issues for Heinemann, Franklin Watts, Lonely Planet, DK and now Buster Books. Clive has contributed many articles to Encyclopaedia Britannica, appeared on radio and at live events and written hundreds of articles to a wide range of publications. He is based in Manchester.
A Q&A on This is Not a Science Book
Is your new book This is Not a Science Book a science book or what?
Ahhh, that would be telling! I can tell you what it is not and that’s a stuffy school science textbook. It is an entertaining activities book with lots of drawing, investigating, colouring-in, project making and puzzling to be done but it does show how all around you, science is constantly happening.
The book is packed with surprising facts and phenomena and activities to scramble your brain with visual illusions and tricks. Why not have a look yourselves, then you can tell me whether the book is out science or about fun or, a lot of both.
Where do you live?
I live in a large three-storey tumbledown house on the very edge of Manchester. It's pretty old - I think it was built in 1906 - and there always seems to be bits of it falling off! It overlooks the Mersey Valley and I can cycle through countryside and canal paths to get to the centre of Manchester.
What do you carry with you when you travel for your writing?
I always carry a notebook and several pens (I am constantly losing pens) to jot down any ideas that spring to mind. I also carry a digital camera or my smartphone to snap pictures and a tiny MP3 player to record interviews. There’s always a pack of Post-It notes in one of my pockets to mark pages of books with useful information to return to, as well.
What is your favourite children's book ever?
That is a toughie! I can give you several favourites if that is okay, starting with the ‘Golden Compass/Northern Lights’ trilogy by Phillip Pullman which I think were truly magical examples of storytelling and David Almond’s ‘Skellig’ which is a truly beautiful story.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Books. No question. Every project I work on needs lots of books to research the subject and gives me the excuse to go to the bookshop and spend, spend, spend! I haven’t counted them but I reckon I’ve got over 7,000 books all littered round my house!
Do you still buy books at shops or do you get all your facts off the internet?
The Internet is, of course, very useful especially for checking and getting the most up to date statistic or snippet but the information on there often only tells a tiny part of the whole story. For a complete picture of how or why something works or more detail, I still think books and magazines are extremely important. I visit bookshops and use libraries all the time. The libraries in my area, Trafford, are excellent and we have an amazing old bookshop over in Sharston which has more than half a million old books!
What would you like to be if you weren't a writer?
Really good question! I really would have liked to have been a rock star but was lousy at playing the guitar. The other job I would have liked was to be a documentary film-maker.
More About Clive Gifford
