Non fiction books

As it’s Non-Fiction November, this month we’ve decided to take a look at a range of lovely non-fiction titles for you to add to your classroom collection. Remember, just like every month, the full range of recommendations can be downloaded FREE of charge by visiting our resources page and clicking on the Reading With Joy link.

Once Upon a Tune. James Mayhew. Otter-Barry Books, 2021, pp96, £16.99. ISBN: 978-1913074036

Alongside creating many best-selling and award-winning books, the author works with a huge variety of orchestra and musicians presenting highly acclaimed concerts that combine, music and live painting. This book is a real labour of love that encapsulates and celebrates this connection of music and pictures. Stunning, vivid images, redolent with rich cultural motifs and colours, match the musical pictures that composers created, inspired by famous stories around the world. The stories themselves are here excitingly re-told. You can battle trolls with Peer Gynt, grapple with a magic broom in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, meet the evil witch in The Swan of Tuonela, sail with Sinbad in Scheherazade, be a prince disguised as a bee in The Flight of the Bumblebee and become the hero William Tell. There are also Musical Notes to find out more about the music and composers and even recommended recordings to download and listen to. A beautiful, timeless investment of a book and well worth having.

Who Makes a Forest. Sally Nicholls. Illustrated by Carolina Rabei .Andersen Press, 2020, pp32, £7.99 ISBN: 9781783449194

Just published in paperback, this beautifully illustrated book invites the reader to join a walk through the forest and to talk about how the forest grew out of what was bare earth. Lovely poetic text marvels at the cycle of life and how decaying matter produces life in such abundance. What it captures so well for younger children is the sense of wonder and appreciation for nature and the illustrations really facilitate understanding of scientific language. The detailed final pages talk about the different types of forests around the world, their importance to our ecosystem and the impact of deforestation on our planet.

We Go Way Back. Idan Ben-Barak. Illustrated by Philip Bunting 2021, Allen & Unwin, pp36, £10.99 ISBN: 978-1911679233

From the author who brought us the hilarious but hugely informative Do Not Lick This Book, all about germs, we have another gem which explains the origins of Life itself on this planet. It points out that in fact nobody actually knows how or when or where Life began and that in itself should be fascinating to young children. But from the one tiny bubble that became the first living cell, sprang the incredible web of life on earth. The boundaries of science overlap with philosophy and this cleverly devised and visualised book will certainly provoke a lot of thinking and discussion and enhance understanding of the concept of genetics and evolution. A brilliant, deceptively simple humorous text.

Black and British: an Illustrated History. David Olusoga. Illustrated by Jake Alexander and Mellany Taylor. Macmillan, 2021, pp80, £16.99 ISBN: 978-1529052954

This is the third iteration of this award-winning title, following the adult and teenage versions with the just published, stunningly illustrated, version which is perfect for primary schools. Illuminating the forgotten history of black people in Britain, from the Roman soldiers building Hadrian’s Wall right through to the present day, it is absolutely essential reading and can complement and extend study of the Tudors, Victorians, the World Wars or any KS2 topic.  The full colour illustrations with maps, portrait galleries, timelines, photos and portraits are a great asset to comprehension and add greatly to the shelf appeal of this important book. It is a shame that it was not published in time to purchase for Black History Month but what this book demonstrates beyond any doubt is that its use extends far beyond just one month.

You Can Alexandra Strick and Steve Antony. Otter-Barry Books, 2021, pp40, £12.99 ISBN: 978-1913074609

Just published, this is a book that is too good for any school to miss. Written by the founder of Inclusive Minds in a direct collaboration with children and young people who were asked what they would say to their younger selves to inspire, reassure and enthuse them about the future. You can find pictures of and information about these young people at the end of the book which lends undeniable verisimilitude. The book follows 14 characters, introduced as babies on the opening endpapers, through to the young adults depicted on the closing pages. Each character is brought vividly to individual life by the beautiful, richly detailed illustrations of Steve Anthony and reflects a truly diverse range of different interests, identities and friendships and a clever and subtle use of colour allows the reader to track individuals through the pages as they grow and change. The language is beautifully paced, and the vignettes depicted are absolutely redolent of authentic real life experiences. Inspirational, aspirational, reassuring and hopeful, this important book will truly allow every child to feel seen, heard and respected. 

If you want to read more about using non-fiction in primary schools, take a look at the following article.