Sometimes, I do actually read books without pictures! If I like them, then here is where you’ll find out why.

Yellowstone by Catherine Ard & Bianca Austria

Here I am again to tell you about an exceptionally beautiful non-fiction text coming from Flying Eye Books. Over the past few years, they have become a hugely reliable publisher when it comes to beautiful non-fiction books that teach readers about a broad range of areas related to a main topic. In this case, it is a stunning entry about the impressive Yellowstone National Park in America. Initially, I was just expecting the book to cover the size of the park and the range of wildlife inhabiting it but the book offers so much more than this. There are sections devoted to the history of the park and exploring not only its past but also the potential issues with its future and the effects of climate change. Cultural history and identity feature prominently, along with a deep exploration into the different geographical aspects of the park. Those who’ve watched Free Solo will be instantly drawn to the this section I feel.

Personally, I have found the book particularly useful to help show my year six class how the park down the road is very different to Yellowstone. Many associate the word with play equipment, some grass and some loitering teenagers but texts like this really help to broaden their understanding of the world and everything else that is out there. As if all this information wasn’t enough, the book is also beautifully illustrated and each page is wonderfully brought to life by the vivid illustrations. I expected to enjoy the book but I was really blown away by how much they managed to bring the park to life and show off everything it has to offer. Released on March 16th, this is another excellent title that would benefit any school library.

Everest by Sangma Francis & Lisk Feng

This is a paperback version of the book and perhaps not a new release as such. However, having this text available in paperback at a slightly cheaper price is going to enable more schools or readers to buy it and that is going to be a huge bonus because this book is wonderful. I was unsure how a whole book based on a mountain would work and whether it would be enough to hold attention, but I am delighted to admit how wrong I was. It is captivating throughout and delivers a vast range of different information relating to Everest. For those interested in the exploring aspect, there is information on certain people who have conquered it, focus on Sherpas and also a breakdown of how the mountain differs at different heights. If you are more interested in the history of the area, it features some wonderful cultural tales and stories that dive into the mountains history and the impact it has had on the local region. My class is currently studying the Himalayas as part of their rivers and mountains topic so the section that explored the mountain range and compared their heights etc. was hugely beneficial to our learning and non-fiction writing. On top of it’s excellent range of information and broad coverage, Everest is also full of stunning illustrations that really bring the topic to life and enhance the information greatly. Everest is being released on February 2nd by Flying Eye Books.

Scientists in the Wild: Galapagos by Helen Scales & Romolo D’Hipolito

It’s refreshing to read a book about Galapagos that is aimed at primary age readers and doesn’t focus on Darwin. As important as Darwin is, he shouldn’t be the only reason it is covered in schools. Learning about the vibrant and unique wildlife is a wonderful learning opportunity and it is truly embraced in this beautiful entry from Flying Eye Books. The books starts off by introducing the different roles of scientists on an expedition and takes time to explore their equipment and travel options. Giving readers a full picture of what is required is something that shouldn’t be overlooked. Education has a habit of skipping some of these important details to focus on key dates or facts, but learning about all of the processes involved really helps to build a complete understanding of how the world works and what it takes to undergo such experiences. Following these details is a selection of visually stunning pages that focus on different aspects of wildlife and the environment they interact with. From deep sea diving and whale watching to the famous finches, it covers a vast array of inhabitants and gives readers a wonderful understanding of their life and also their role in that part of the world. The stunning art work and colour only helps to elevate this and will have readers hooked. As a teacher who is studying evolution later in the year, I can’t wait to use this and approach the topic with a more modern text that embraces the past but also explores the area for it’s own beauty. Scientists in the Wild: Galapagos is released on March 2nd by Flying Eye Books and would be a superb addition to any school library.

Wild Animals of the World by Dieter Braun

Yet again, Flying Eye have published another visually stunning non-fiction text that can help educate and inform anyone who reads it. Braun produces page after page of beautiful illustrations that really stand out thanks to their vivid colours. The book is organised slightly different to more conventional texts, but this is one of the biggest selling points. Instead of working through a contents page, the book is split into different continents and encourages readers to take a geographical journey as they learn about the different species that live there. This is a fantastic way to help develop children’s understanding of the world and how the different environments affect the wildlife. Braun makes the choice to only add a paragraph of writing about chosen animals which doesn’t sound like much. However, by doing this you ensure that only the key information is passed on and readers are less likely to be put off by reams of text about an animal. Short and to the point will actually encourage readers to explore the book more I’d argue and help them to remember the important facts. From the start to the finish, the book does a brilliant job of making pages seem friendly and alluring instead of over saturated. This will be an excellent addition to any school or class library. Wild Animals of the World is released on October 6th by Flying Eye books.

Tyger by S.F Said & Dave McKean

I’ve been waiting excitedly for this book, ever since S.F Said visited my school back in 2018 and told us he was currently working on a new book called Tyger. Not only was he a phenomenal speaker but he had unknowingly created a group of teachers (myself included) who were desperate to read his next book. Varjak Paw and The Outlaw Varjak Paw have always been a big hit with every class I have read them too and both should be in every school library as far as I’m concerned. Although it isn’t linked to them, Tyger feels like it fits in well with story of the kung-fu cat. At the heart of it, Tyger is a magical story that manages to include tense action scenes, deep characters and address social injustice all in less than 300 pages.

My copy of the book was missing some of Dave McKean’s illustrations, but the ones which were present really helped to bring the text alive and certainly added plenty to the text. Without giving too much away, Tyger is a book set in a very bleak London where the empire has managed to continue. Racial equality is at an all time low and many families are forced to hide their true identities. Paper has become a valuable commodity, which means areas such as the arts are completely stifled and the word on the street is a wild beast is on the loose. Adam is a simple messenger boy, but when he stumbles across a mystical Tyger, everything changes and he is thrust into far greater responsibilities.

Like the rest of Said’s work, the book is written at a brilliant pace, ensuring the plot keeps moving but you still get plenty of depth and detail for each character. I was hooked in from the very start and despite trying my best to really savour the book, I couldn’t help myself from ploughing through the pages. Anyone who’s a fan of Varjak will be very pleased with Tyger and it is sure to be a big hit in UKS2 classrooms. Tyger will be relased on the 6th of October by David Fickling books, I highly recommend you pick up a copy and lose yourself in it’s magic.

No Such Thing by Ella Bailey

From its eye catching front cover, readers should be well aware they’re in for a spooky themed read with No Such Thing. On the surface, it is a Halloween themed tale that has a lovely rhyming structure which rolls off the tongue But it is so much more when you take your time to fully explore the pages. Each page has a vast amount of tiny details for the reader to explore away, at times it feels like Where’s Wally with a story. There’s lots of little ghosts and creatures hiding away but offering just enough for readers to find them. This really helps bring the book to life and create a wonderfully, immersive experience. The artwork is beautiful throughout and really captures the spirit of the story. It would be a very welcome addition to any school library or classroom and there’s plenty of opportunities to use this in KS2 to support creative writing too. No Such Thing is released on August 4th by Flying Eye.

Passionate about penguins by Owen Davey

This is another beautiful addition to the non-fiction world from Owen Davey. If you are familiar with his previous work then you will be pleased to know this is another top quality effort, if you aren’t familair then be prepared for a beautiful exploration of penguins. Vivid colours and beautiful illustrations flood the pages throughout and support a vast range of useful information. The book covers a wide range of topics related to penguins ranging from social life, temperature, size and conservation. This broad coverage makes the book an excellent addition to libraries for both informational and scientific purposes, I wish it had been in my class when exploring penguins as part of our South Pole work the other year. Released on August 4th, this will be a stunning and welcome addition to any primary library.

Mia and the Lightcasters – The Umbra Tales by Janelle McCurdy

This is a magical and enchanting tale that will have readers frantically reading throughout. Despite being set in a magical world, the story does an excellent job of trying to show you how unremarkable Mia is and takes its time to really introduce her and the world she lives in. At first I was concerned the pace was too slow, but it soon became clear that all of this world building would be essential later on. The reader is drip fed details and lore that help to build a deeply rich and immersive environment. Just when you think you can predict the future twists and turns, the plot veers off into unexpected directions and keeps you begging for more.

In simple terms Mia and the Lightcasters is a story about magic and the battle of good and evil. However, it is so much more than this and it would be a true disservice to describe it in this manner. As you work your way through the adventure, a host of different characters and settings entwine themselves with the action. The personalities given to the settings was a real strength and as a reader you get a wonderful sense of identity for each place Mia and her group visit. It is easy to dismiss Mia as a book that’s like Amari or Nevermoor but it has plenty of unique features that help to separate it as a fantastic book that should be placed on a par with these instead of dismissed as a clone. Mia is a powerful and inspirational character who I have no doubt will become a big hit with readers, although her younger brother threatens to steal the show at times. Combined with the mysterious and magical Umbra (it would be awesome to have one in real life) the book creates a captivating world that will have readers thrilled for years to come. Released on August 8th by Faber, be sure to pick yourself up a copy of Mia and the Lightcasters.

Sherlock Bones and the Case of the Crown Jewels by Tim Collins

This new release from Buster Books is a hybrid text that will be a good addition to LKS2 libraries who are looking for those slightly longer reads that year 3 & 4 can manage independently. At the heart of it, Sherlock Bones is a mystery story that the titular character and his trusty sidekick Dr Catson are eager to solve. The crown jewels have gone missing but with multiple suspects and a decreasing chance of success, time and opportunities are running out for the detective duo. It may sound like a simple mystery story for a younger audience but there is more to Sherlock Bones than meets the eye. Each chapter has several small puzzles to solve that link to the case or the characters involved, similar to a choose your own adventure story.

These puzzles are a nice addition but crucially they do not have to be solved to enjoy the book. I still remember reading Mario adventure books as a child and forever failing the puzzles and being forced back to the start. Sherlock Bones makes the puzzles an addition and a nice option but a reader can choose to ignore them and still enjoy the story at hand. This premise works very well especially when you consider the target readership, having a puzzle to break up the chapter means readers will get less fatigued and then once they’ve solved the puzzle it creates the desire to find out what happens next.

Often children can find a text longer than 100 pages daunting in LKS2 especially in year 3 when so many people just expect them to pick up Harry Potter and love it, so having a text like Sherlock Bones will be really helpful for this transition. It has a longer and more detailed story but the frequent puzzle breaks and well sized font mean the pages are never onerous or overwhelming. On the surface, it’s an engaging mystery that uses animal characteristics effectively to develop plot and character but in reality it is much more than this thanks to its very different structure and approach. A worthy addition to school libraries, Sherlock Bones is published by Buster Books and out now.

Curious Creatures: Working With Tools by Zoe Armstrong & Anja Susanj

As soon as I saw the front cover of this book I was confident it would be for me, an otter smiling whilst cracking open a clam on a rock shows you exactly what you are in for. Throughout, the book is a journey of discovery and helps to illustrate how lots of different animals use tools in a similar manner to humans. All of the information is accompanied by gorgeous imagery that not only brings the words to life but also helps to demonstrate exactly how these curious creatures use the respective tools.

Due to the fact that the book covers a broad range of animals, readers are also exposed to a wide range of habitats and environments, making this book perfect for supporting a range of topics too. Readers may want to simply enjoy learning and expanding their knowledge about otters, orangutans, elephants and others but teachers will also be able to use the book to support lessons or add an extra dimension to topic work.

Visually the book is beautiful and all of the creatures featured ooze character and personality thanks to little touches and their facial expressions. Unlike some non-fiction, curious creatures breaks up the text into lots of small bite size sections that will allow younger readers to access it without finding it too daunting. This does not mean older readers won’t enjoy it though, in fact a boy in my class saw the front cover on my laptop and is already eagerly awaiting its arrival in class.

Curious creatures is a beautiful text that will educate and inform anyone who reads it. It would be an excellent addition to any school or class library. The book is published by Flying Eye books and will be released on June 2nd.

Sleepover Takeover by Simon James Green

I was slightly reluctant to read Sleepover Takeover to my class at first, they loved serious or emotional stories and I feared this may be too lighthearted for Year 6. It turns out, I was wrong. Very wrong. Not only did I adore the book and the many chances it gave me to put on a performance while reading, but most importantly the class loved it. The book had them roaring with laughter, thanks to its excellent use of repeated jokes and bizarre scenarios. But it also had them pondering their own friendships and the transition they will be going through soon when they move up to high school. Doing that in one book is tricky to do but Simon James Green has managed it wonderfully here.

The story is almost like the hangover for kids, it starts out with a wild birthday party which no one can remember or explain the next day. It then moves onto a hilarious voyage to retrace their steps which allows the characters a lot of time for emotional development. They display empathy and compassion for each other, the actual process of creating friendships is displayed piece by piece. This demonstration of what a true friend is and in many ways how to make new friends is so important for children, especially those going to high school where they may be alone or separated from their usual acquaintances. As the book comes to an end, the characters are given a chance to protect and support each other in a way that is endearing but still keeps the laughs coming too.

Sleepover Takeover does a brilliant job of juggling comedy with a delicate situation. The end result is an adventure that balances humour and emotion in equal measure to good effect. In the biggest compliment possible, it reminded me of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson which is always a huge hit with Y5 & 6. I am very grateful to Scholastic for my copy of the book, as my ignorance may have led me to missing out on a gem that I will be sure to read with my classes for years to come.