This is a fantastic non-fiction / fiction based book for children from about 4 to 7 years old. I recently bought it as our topic over recent weeks was Materials and this acts as a great introduction to the topic, covering almost everything that is required by the National Curriculum.
~ All Kinds of Everything. A first look at materials ~
The facts in the book are told by a couple of busy little bees which makes it more interesting for children as it's an information book but has appealing characters.
On each page there is a statement, e.g. 'Everything around us is made of different materials.' The statement is then developed and extended through the speech of the bees, Zip and Titch, e.g. Titch bumps in to some glass and says that he didn't see it coming! Zip then explains that that is because it is made from glass, it's a solid material but you can see through it.
They then go through an open window and in to the house where they explore different materials and witness preparations for a birthday party, covering the following facts about materials:
wood and metal, which spoon can be used safely in hot water?
liquids turning in to solids when frozen
different ways of changing materials, e.g. twisting, bending, squashing etc..
The book ends with a brief summary of the key areas covered in the story. The final page also challenges the reader to go off and explore other materials at home or school and investigate which are magnetic, transparent, wobbly, smooth, able to float and lots more!
~ Style and Format ~
This is very cleverly written. As stated earlier, there is a statement on each page relating to materials and Zip and Titch take it one step further by having a little discussion about the materials that can be seen on the page; "Why is the lady using the wooden spoon instead of the shiny one?" " The wooden spoon won't get hot as quickly as the metal one."
The illustrations by Simone Abel are bright and large, instantly appealing to children.
There isn't lots of text in the book but some tricky words that emergent readers would find hard to read, it does obviously all depend on the reading ability of each child as to whether they can read it alone or with an adult.
~ Educational Values ~
This is by far one of the best educational books aimed at making Science fun, that I have come across. Initially the children in my class didn't seem overly enthused when I told them that we would be learning about Materials. Having spent the previous term studying The Body with a visit to the hospital etc, materials seemed a bit of a disappointment. However when I used this book to introduce the topic they became a little more enthusiastic and were asking when they could do some of the things that they had seen in the book, like melting chocolate, making jelly etc..
The back of the book states ' information picture book that encourages children to question the world around them. An excellent resource for literacy, KS1 or the English National Curriculum and Scottish Guidelines AB'. And it certainly doesn't fail to disappoint: It covers the areas relating to materials that are required at Key Stage 1 and introduces scientific concepts and vocabulary in a fun and interesting way.
This book is so educationally valuable that it is a recommended text on www.firstschoolyears.co.uk in the section relating to Materials and their Properties.
~ Other books in this series ~
LIttle Bees books are as follows:
Which switch is which? (electricity)
The best ears in the world ( sound and hearing)
It all makes sense! (the senses)
And everyone shouted 'Pull!' (forces and motion)
Rise and shine ( light)
~ Sam Godwin (the author) ~
Just look out for other books by Sam Godwin as I've been very impressed by the couple I've read. He also writes children's fiction and non-fiction books in his own name Saviour Pirotta.
~ Price ~ My paperback was £5.99 and worth every penny! ISBN: 0-7502-3933-6 I've looked on amazon and they don't have any available at the moment but I picked mine up from the Book Fair we had at school in January.
~ My Verdict ~
A must-have book for anyone who may teach this area of the National Curriculum to children up to 7 years old and just as valuable to have at home if you have a child who is an aspiring scientist. It really won't fail to disappoint!
