Toppsta - Childrens Books – Reviews

I had the most incredible conversation with a 4-year old because of this non-fiction book... The child already has an interest in space and this morning we looked at this (new to us) non-fiction book together. She quickly absorbed the information and went on to teach me and later the whole class, the order of the planets from nearest-furthest away from the Sun, giving an interesting fact about each planet and a reason for how she knew which planet went where. She also thought of a couple of names that she'd give planets herself if any new planets were ever discovered - "Rust" and "Iblootoe". We used the book to research and discuss the Big Bang theory which felt like a marvellous way to spend a morning! I thoroughly recommend 'Curious Questions & Answers about... The Solar System' to anyone who has an emerging interest in our universe... The bright illustrations and short captions are great for keeping little ones intrigued, while the language used is easy to follow. Though it is aimed towards older children (7+), nursery pupils have shown an interest in this book and the topic in general, wanting to use it to find out more (with the help of an adult). It is a gem!

We all know that elephants can't fly, right? We wonder if they've ever thought about flying though... Elephants are incredibly intelligent creatures and in this story, a family of elephants are determined to design and build a flying machine that is capable of soaring through the sky, with all three of them as pilots! They show ingenuity, perseverance, creativity and and an unwavering belief that their dream is indeed a possibility - all traits that we would hope little ones to develop through their own explorative learning! Each page shares a nugget of knowledge to consider when planning a flying machine: the weight of the components, the weight of the passengers, the shape and angle of the wings, the space needed for takeoff, the propelling force guiding the craft... There are also flaps and folds within the book that allow the readers to interactively adapt and contribute to the elephants developing designs - "that's my favourite bit", explains a 4yr old, "I made the plane work!" There's also a section which briefly illustrates key moments in the history of flying machines, with hot air balloons, double-winged planes, Concorde etc. One child in the class loved this part because they'd seen the real thing in a museum, so we searched for clips of these designs in 'action' and he became an 'aero-expert'... "that's the red arrows," "I think that's a chinook". The story started a fascination with flying throughout the nursery and inspired our little engineers!