children’s non-fiction – N S Ford https://nsfordwriter.com Writer, reader, blogger Thu, 24 Apr 2025 19:54:40 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://i0.wp.com/nsfordwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-N-logo.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 children’s non-fiction – N S Ford https://nsfordwriter.com 32 32 149925501 Review of ‘Paper World: Human Body’ illustrated by Gail Armstrong https://nsfordwriter.com/paper-world-human-body-illustrated-by-gail-armstrong/ https://nsfordwriter.com/paper-world-human-body-illustrated-by-gail-armstrong/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2023 08:00:14 +0000 https://nsfordwriter.com/?p=7261 All children – and many grown-ups! – are fascinated by the workings of the human body. This marvellous large-format book uses a fantastic paper-cut-out design to reveal the organs and systems of the body. It has a vibrant, attractive colour scheme and some truly ingenious paper engineering. Although intended for age 7+, it’s suitable for any primary school age and beyond, as younger children can enjoy lifting the intricate flaps, observing the illustrations and having the captions read to them, while older ones will be able to read the text and understand the diagrams better. I feel that this book will be educational for adults too, as it includes details such as areas of the brain, which are not necessarily part of a general education. It also includes the proper names for body parts and functions along with the common name. The writing style is straightforward and not at all patronising.

Ribcage lift the flap pages in Paperworld Human Body by Gail Armstrong

When I asked my kids if they liked the book, the answer was a resounding “YES!” Their comments included: “I like the colourful brain”, that the alveoli “look like broccoli” and “I like the running man” (muscular system). They were particularly amazed by the illustrations of inside a tooth, the development of a baby in the womb, the digestive system and the respiratory system (part of a clever layering of die-cuts in which you open the ribcage, lift up the lungs and find the heart). The text goes into a fair amount of detail, although it doesn’t cover everything. For children who are at the stage of questioning every fact they encounter, there aren’t always answers. Sometimes there is no explanation you can give, other than “it’s part of the body and that’s how it works”.

Paper World Human Body hardback book

Many thanks to Templar Books (an imprint of Bonnier) for the review copy. Paper World: Human Body is published today! It’s available in hardback. There are two previous titles in the series, Planet Earth and Space.

]]> https://nsfordwriter.com/paper-world-human-body-illustrated-by-gail-armstrong/feed/ 2 7261 Review of ‘Women in Sport: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win’ by Rachel Ignotofsky https://nsfordwriter.com/review-of-women-in-sport-rachel-ignotofsky/ https://nsfordwriter.com/review-of-women-in-sport-rachel-ignotofsky/#comments Thu, 20 Dec 2018 08:00:50 +0000 http://nsfordwriter.com/?p=516 We often hear negative things in the media about women in sport – unequal pay, lack of coverage on TV, body shaming, girls not participating in sports at school. I even saw one report which claimed a ‘lack of role models’. Obviously that report writer hadn’t read this book! Beautifully illustrated and concisely written, it aims to inspire and encourage girls to achieve success in sports, featuring fifty female athletes who broke boundaries, overcame difficulties, achieved world records and followed their dreams. Published this year by Wren & Rook (Hachette Children’s), this book was bought as a gift for an eleven-year-old and I had to read it before the wrapping paper went on…

The format of this book is simple. Each athlete has two pages, containing biography, quotes and energetic illustrations. They are arranged in chronological order of birth, from figure skater Madge Syers to gymnast Simone Biles. At the beginning there’s a timeline, from the first Olympic Games around 776 BCE (women weren’t even allowed to watch, let alone compete) through to the present day, in which women are breaking records but are still ‘fighting for equal access, exposure and pay’. There are other features, such as muscle anatomy, statistics on TV coverage and the pay gap, influential sports teams and a bibliography.

A variety of sports are represented and there is a diverse selection of athletes. Some of these are famous, while others are lesser known (at least by me). Tiny Broadwick, the first woman to parachute from a plane. Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel, beating the world record too. Althea Gibson, the first black player to win a Grand Slam title. Beryl Burton, who set speed records in cycling. Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest. Patti McGee, the first professional female skateboarder. Melissa Stockwell, paratriathlete and war veteran. And many more!

‘So ask yourself: what is my next victory? Play hard, keep up that hustle and don’t be afraid to dream big, because you are strong.’

I don’t play sports (unless you count reading?) but this book made me want to, even though I barely know one end of a tennis racket from the other.

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