Non-fiction Round Up


Non-fiction continues to see some high quality innovative publishing, with varied formats, engaging texts and appealing illustration. Nikki Gamble looks at recent new books, and selects must-have titles for the new term.


This year has seen some superb non-fiction titles, particularly about the natural world.


Nicola Davies has teamed up once again with Emily Sutton to bring us a treasure chest of a book. A First Book of the Sea begins with an enticement to open the pages and an invitation to wonder at what will be discovered inside: ‘But remember – the waves tell a bigger story. Over years they have worn rocks into the very sand between your toes.’ Nicola Davies has a wonderful voice, creating sublime images from the simplest of observations. She engages by seeing the world through a child’s eye lens but in one skilful move expands the view. The collection is thoughtfully arranged, into four sections. The first, ‘Down by the Shore’ captures a childlike delight in being the first to see the sea, ‘As if the whole ocean had been lost and found again’. It conjures images of idyllic summers paddling, surfing, building sandcastles, collecting shells and pebbles, finding se creatures on the shore and in rockpools. The second section, ‘Journeys’ invites reflection, contrasting the epic journey of the blue


are patterned around the page inviting the reader to pause for close inspection, a dynamic, swirling shoal of fish captures the darting movement and glimmer of scales in the sunlight. The turn of each page surprises and prompts gasps of delight. It is impossible to choose a favourite page in this gorgeous book, you will have to find your own. Give it as a gift, buy it for the classroom, or simply treat yourself. This one is a keeper.


Moth: An Evolution Story is brought to us by another inspired pairing: writer Isabel Thomas and illustrator Daniel Egnéus. The narrative starts, ‘This is a story of light and dark. Of change and adaptation, of survival and hope.’ Using the famous example of the peppered moth, Thomas explains the concept of natural selection in a way that can be easily understood by young children. Some moths are born with peppered wings and some are jet black. The peppered moths have more effective camouflage, until industrial pollution leaves black sooty deposits on buildings and trees, then the survival rates of the black moths increase and so do their numbers. However, this is reversed as the world moves away from fossil fuels. The moths are a sign of hope for a greener cleaner world. The presence of a child reading a book on the opening spread and the same child observing moths in their natural habitat on the final spread show that we can learn from books but also from first-hand observation of our world. ‘Be silent. Be still. Look closely at the trees’, Thomas urges the reader. Egneus’ artwork adds emotional depth to this science story, contrasting the delicate speckled moths and their feathery antennae with the heavy blocks of dark smoke and spattered soot.


whale with the tiny steps taken by the humble limpet. ‘Under the sea’ tells us about some of the strange creatures that live in the depths. The final section ‘Wonders’ invokes a sense of awe: ending with a quiet reflection: ‘Sand in my shoes/Salt in my hair/a pebble in my pocket/The horizon in my eye.’ As we close the page we are left to ponder the wonders that we have seen. Environmental messages are subtly interwoven, it is suggested that shells are left on the beach, we learn about people who live by the sea, Emily Sutton’s illustration captures the full range of tone and


mood. A lighthouse pictured atop a cliff above swirling midnight blue waters splattered with spume and spray captures the elemental force of wind and ocean. An array of decorative shells and pebbles


14 Books for Keeps No.232 September 2018 For school libraries, Simon Chapman’s Expedition Diaries is


an authoritative and informative series. The latest title Himalayan Mountains charts an expedition into the Eastern Himalayas in the Yunnan Province of China. The strength of this series is the writer’s authentic voice, delicate watercolours and many photographs which provide fascinating detail. It is a pity that photographs aren’t given more space as finer detail is lost and consequently so is the opportunity for maximising learning from the visual information. There is a glossary, which is useful – though the dictionary style definition of alpine ‘connected to high mountains’ is an example of a less helpful, abstract definition for a young reader. An extended definition with exemplification would be a better aid to understanding.


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