The best new non-fiction for younger readers…
Rob Biddulph returns with Draw With Rob (Harper Collins, £6.99), helping children to write and draw their very own picture book.
He guides them through the process, from choosing characters to planning twists and turns. The step-by-step draw-along characters include a superhero bear, a robot and unicorn. So much fun, grown-ups will want to join in (ages 4-10).
The beautifully illustrated My Big Book Of Outdoors by Tim Hopgood (Walker, £16) takes younger children through the seasons with a series of inventive challenges.
Make chocolate nests in spring, identify butterflies in summer, make a leaf mobile in autumn, or collect pine cones in winter (ages 7-9).
The Queen’s Wardrobe by Julia Golding and Kate Hindley (Two Hoots, £14.99) tells the story of Elizabeth II’s life through the prism of her wardrobe, from her christening gown to the beaded dress she wore in her James Bond 2012 Olympics parachute stunt. With charming illustrations, it’s full of stories and surprising facts about our longserving monarch (ages 7-11).
In Wild Child (Macmillan Children’s, £14.99), naturalist Dara McAnulty helps children explore local habitats, identifying animals and plants. It’s a treasure trove of facts and projects such as making a bird feeder or terrarium (aged 7-11).
Children can become a # 2 minute superhero by taking up the challenges in Kids Fight Climate Change by Martin Dorey, illustrated by Tim Wesson (Walker, £7.99). It’s a colourful guide to saving the planet, with changes to make in everyday life, from eating less meat and dairy to turning down the heating and wearing a jumper (ages 7-12).
Kate Pankhurst turns eight stellar lives into engaging tales in Fantastically Great Women Scientists And Their Stories (Bloomsbury, £6.99). From astronaut Mae Jemison to chemist Tu Youyou, who developed a cure for malaria, learn about the hurdles these gifted women overcame to help transform the world (ages 7+).
Readers of all ages will be fascinated by the facts in Listified! (Britannica Books, £18.99). Its 300 lists range from 13 theories about why dinosaurs became extinct to nine surprising things that have fallen out of the sky (ages 8+).
The inspirational Marcus Rashford urges children to work hard and dream big in You Are A Champion (Pan Macmillan, £9.99). He helps readers work out where they want to be, and how they might get there.
It’s down to earth, practical, and written with his trademark warmth and empathy. As he says: “When you believe in yourself, incredible things can happen.” Every young person should read this book (10+).
Michelle Obama’s bestselling memoir Becoming (Puffin, £14.99) has been adapted for younger readers. She tells her life story from humble beginnings to eight years in the White House via Princeton – oh and she married someone called Barack (10+).
Next week: fiction for children