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Find out moreActivity books are a great way to keep kids entertained. Pack one of these activity or puzzle books for your next long journey. To help you choose, download an extract and you can order the book too!
Peppered with brain-flexing puzzles - mazes, spot the difference, code-cracking, numeracy challenges and logic games - that neatly complement the story, Tim Collins’ Sherlock Bones and the Case of the Crown Jewels kicks off a new sleuthing series in engaging style. It’s a terrific trio of story, activity, and artwork, with John Bigwood’s detailed, dandy illustrations adding to the fun. After musing, “I need a case that will challenge me…Something I can really puzzle over,” Sherlock Bones gets exactly what he wished for when the crown jewels are stolen from Kennel Palace. With the story narrated by Sherlock’s devoted sidekick Dr Catson, the detective duo must unravel numerous tangled leads, with tonnes of suspects to investigate and eliminate in their pursuit of the real criminal. Along the way, readers are invited to get into detective mode through solving puzzles, with the story driven by lively dialogue and plenty of whodunnit intrigue.
Packed with stunning artwork from the bestselling Heartstopper series, this unique colouring book allows you to relax with Nick, Charlie and friends - and also includes several exclusive never-before-seen images. Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. This beautiful colouring book contains all the fan favourite characters and scenes such as Nick and Charlie's first kiss and their trip to Paris, plus guest appearances from Nellie, Tao and Ellie, Tara and Darcy and many more! Featuring some empty speech bubbles to fill in with your own creative thoughts, and the entire Tara/Darcy mini-comic to colour at the end, this book has something for everyone. Celebrate the power of love and friendship, while becoming involved in the Heartstopper world in a truly interactive way.
With this art journal for kids aged 7+ from Xavier Leopold, AKA Xavi Art, young readers can use art to brighten their day, find calmness and confidence, and show how they really feel. Xavi uses his unique story to show readers how to use art for self-expression and wellbeing. When city trader Xavi picked up a brush during lockdown in 2020, he found a whole new world of communication for feelings. Throughout this journal, he explains how anyone can put their thoughts and dreams on paper, no matter what training they have. Themed around key wellness topics like healthy living, positive thinking and expressing emotions, each chapter contains lots of inspiration for art from the heart. Plus, there's ample room for readers to make the journal their own by filling the pages with their art - and there's even a free online art club to join.
June 2022 Debut of the Month | Propa Happy sees pillars of primetime TV, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, deliver a lively, inclusive guide to emotional health and happiness. Written with guidance from the NSPCC, and in consultation with a child psychology expert, this smartly-designed, visually engaging handbook is packed with jokes, challenges and quizzes, with activities designed to help kids find their way to happiness alongside tonnes of invaluable advice. Lending itself nicely to being used at home and in the classroom, Propa Happy kicks off in exuberant style by inviting readers to “Be PROUD to let others see how AMAZING you are!” before explaining that happiness comes from within, and means something different to us all. The first chapter focuses on the individual, and includes exercises to help readers explore who they are, and what makes them happy The book goes on to explore everything from friendship, the power of kindness, and how to be a good friend, to how to boost your mood. Practical and inspirational, with the authors’ proceeds going to the NSPCC, it’s a terrific toolkit for mindfulness and positive thinking.
Have fun creating outfits for different outdoor activities, such as pony trekking through mountains, cycling in a forest, going for a ramble along clifftops, star gazing on a clear, crisp night and lots more.
Select outfits for the dolls as they indulge in their passion for horses and ponies. Choose their clothes for grooming, feeding and cleaning out at the stables, going for a trek in the countryside and taking part in pony games and show jumping events
Dress the dolls for dog walking, a trip to the vet, a puppy training session and lots more in this adorable activity book. Perfect for young animal lovers, there are over 250 reusable stickers of dogs and puppies, and delightful outfits and accessories for their owners, so the book can be enjoyed time and again.
Dress the dolls and choose accessories for a variety of occasions. Join the dolls at their pony club, have a summer picnic, spend a day on the beach and go roller skating in the park. The stickers include their clothes as well as stylish accessories including bags, shoes and hats.
This picture book tells the tale of a prince and a kidnapped princess, of a cheeky bird catcher, a warring king and queen, and of a magic flute. It is of course the story of perhaps the most famous opera of all, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and not only does the book cleverly condense the action into picture book form, but it allows readers to experience snatches of the music too. There are buttons on each page which, when pressed, play excerpts of the score, performed by orchestra and singers. There’s a short biography of Mozart on the final page to spark more interest in him and his music, a glossary and more information on the music, and what to listen out for. The illustrations are lively and full of detail, and this is a thoroughly charming first introduction to opera.
Frozen Mountain is an interactive adventure game book that teaches essential survival skills to up-and-coming explorers. The story unfolds following an emergency landing high in a remote mountain region and from there the reader has to make a series of life and death decisions to make it home. Every possible danger comes your way as you deal with frostbite, bear attacks, blizzards, raging torrents and more. Not to mention the basic techniques for finding food, water and not getting even more lost than you already are! Frozen Mountain is absolutely packed with expert advice and tips for surviving in the wilderness. My favourite was finding out how to make a snow hole to stay warm and safe during a storm - you never know when that might come in handy! Apart from the cool tips, what this book really teaches is the relationship between risk and luck, and how making good decisions is the most important thing when out in the mountains. Page after page there’s a threat to your life. You're provided with information to make a decision and then your decision is tested by the spinner which comes with the book - a reminder that in the end there is always an element of luck in any dangerous situation. Frozen Mountain is great fun and beautifully illustrated in the style of a classic adventure book, and it even includes snippets from terrifying real-life survival stories to fire the imagination! After all, an adventure wouldn’t be an adventure without the possibility you may not return…
Who doesn’t wonder how their brain works? This book gives you a guided tour of the human brain (and some animal ones), explaining in brightly illustrated pages what the brain does, and how, demonstrating functions of the cerebellum, the brainstem, the cerebrum and the different lobes (frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital). The information is clearly presented via perfectly pitched text and illustration and is thoroughly engaging, accessible and stimulating. There are tests to try out yourself and ingenious representations of new scientific understanding of the brain. It finishes with a look into the future and what might be next for neuroscience and, having read this, lots of youngsters will be eager to keep learning more.
The big puzzle book is just what it says on the cover. 250 varied puzzles, quizzes and crosswords. It is set out in sections with a variety of activities within a theme; themes such as animals, history and transport. There is a good variety of topics and within each chapter there are word, picture and number puzzles, making it interesting and accessible, something for everyone. The book is not geared to a specific age group but the range of ability within the questions and puzzles covers a wide age range and ability levels. The book is a great size, easy to pick up and perfect for taking on a journey. The pages are laid out in a colourful and attractive way and the illustrations and instructions are bold and clear. I like that it is one in a series, and I would imagine that the other titles are equally fun and entertaining. A fun book to dip into and always good to have the answers at the back to check on. Definitely one for the Christmas stockings!
If you want to know how your dog’s brain works, this is the book for you. Author Dr John Bradshaw is a biologist and anthrozoologist and an absolute expert on how dogs understand the world. With the help of Rusty, a terrier, he explains how dogs use their noses to ‘see’ things, how they communicate with each other (and us) and just how much they love their owners! It’s fascinating whether you have a dog or not, but if your best friend has four legs, then it’s a must have. After you’ve read the book, you’ll know so much about the best ways to keep your dog happy and why they behave the way they do. It’s a really accessible read and black and white illustrations by Clare Elsom make it even more appealing.
The Editor at Nosy Crow says: "This stunning book is packed full of inspirational activities that any family can enjoy. A seasonal structure means that there’s always something to do – from recipes to crafts to gardening – at every time of year, while beautiful illustrations and a vibrant text make this is a book to be treasured for years to come.”
October 2021 Book of the Month | A guide to being the best – and happiest – person you can possibly be, this book takes a highly original approach and advises readers to learn lessons from animals. Author Carlie Sorosiak has gathered lots of examples of animal behaviour that demonstrate the importance of being yourself, of being brave, finding friends, being resilient. These range from meerkats who stop bullying and stand up for one another to wombats who shared their burrows with other animals during Australia’s bushfires. A particularly effective example is that of a racoon stuck in a storm drain for hours before eventually being released – the moral: all this will pass. It’s quirky, absorbing and enticingly do-able while Sorosiak’s cheerful, positive approach sets the perfect tone. Full of warmth and wisdom, this is a book to recommend to stressed young people.
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