Novelty Non-Fiction

The Human Body
(Templar)
In this book, imaginative paper engineering helps bring the body to life. You can wiggle a spine to see how the vertebrae move, pump blood through a vein to see a valve in action and make a fingernail grow. Pop ups show the different parts of the body in detail and the text provides plenty of information in a way that's easy to understand without talking down to the reader.
Ages 8+
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Inventions: pop-up models from the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci
(Templar)
This is one of those books that make you say 'wow' as soon as you open it. It's carefully designed to look like the da Vinci's notebooks on which it is based, with sepia pages full of handwritten text and his own sketches. The words and diagrams explain the thoughts and science behind each of the inventions that leap to life as you turn the pages. It should fascinate older readers and adults, especially boys and budding engineers.
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Earthly Treasure
by Kate Petty and Jennie Maizeis
(Eden Project)
The earthly treasure in the title is the minerals we get from the ground. Using cleverly designed flaps and pull tabs, the book shows readers where minerals come from, how we use them and how different life would be without them. The author and illustrator need to be congratulated for turning a potentially dry subject into a fascinating one. Although the book is not sturdy enough for the school library, it fits well with science for KS1 and KS2 and could be useful in the classrom or at home to fire children's interest in minerals and materials.
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