Children's Books > Fact & Activity

Wideness and Wonder is the fascinating story of the mysterious and beloved artist Georgia O'Keeffe. Well-known children's biography writer Susan Goldman Rubin traces the events that shaped O'Keeffe's art and how art influenced O Keeffe's life in return.
Wideness and Wonder is colorful, accessible, and packed with the art that made O'Keeffe so renowned.

Tired of boring and drab Maori language learning books? THIS book is bursting with vivid, entertaining illustrations by Stephen Cartwright that will attract even beginner adult learners.
The book includes verbs, adjectives, opposites, numbers, colours, shapes, and many, many other vocabulary themes. A complete bilingual index of the vocabulary, with a pronunciation guide, is included in the last pages. 'Learn Maori with Huia' is an on-going series of books and resources to inspire and help anyone who is interested in learnin... read more

Over 200 colour pictures that I hope inspire you and provide ideas from myself and other educators from around New Zealand. Ideas on what can be incorporated from solid waste materials, and the home environment, into an early childhood centre's environment. In my volunteer time as an early childhood teacher I have made over four hundred 'activity centres' to date. It is true, that one man's rubbish is another man's treasure. Sustainability is an important issue within the community and the education sector. I enjoy encouraging ot... read more

Everybody knows Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson's best-loved character. But what do they know about Jacqueline herself? In this fascinating book, discover...how Jacky played with paper dolls like April in Dustbin Baby...how she dealt with an unpredictable father like Prue in Love Lessons...how she sat entrance exams like Ruby in Double Act. But most of all how Jacky loved reading and writing stories. Losing herself in a new world was the best possible way she could think of spending her time. From the very first story she w... read more

With the first cup of tea you are a stranger. With the second ...a friend. With the third cup of tea, you are family. In 1993, Greg Mortenson tried to climb K2, which is the second highest mountain in the world. On the way down, he became lost in the mountains of Pakistan and stumbled into a poor village. There, the village chief and his people offered Greg even more than three cups of tea: they nursed him back to health. Moved by their kindness, he promised to return and build a school for their children. This is the story of that... read more

Egyptian hieroglyphs have long fascinated people the world over, though traditionally only specially trained scholars have been able to unlock their esoteric secrets. In Hieroglyph Detective, renowned Egyptologist Nigel Strudwick offers a historical background for the symbols as he takes the reader on a visual tour of museums around the world and provides step-by-step instructions on how to decipher inscriptions from ancient Egyptian tombs and temples. This hands-on field guide contains everything one needs to uncover age-old m... read more

Miranda's Alphabet uses a unique system to teach pre-schoolers the letters of the alphabet. Central to the idea are the simple graphics, which transform each letter into a picture of its own sound, helping the child "see" the sound in the shape of the letter. No other children's alphabet system marries the shape of the letter with its sound. In other alphabets the connection is random and thus confusing for children. In Miranda's Alphabet the connection between shape and sound is direct and clear. Miranda's Alphabet allows each l... read more

Psst! Want to know a secret? Do you dare open me up? Because inside you'll find the incredible Truth about mind-boggling confidential stuff 'they' don't want you to know! From the publishers who brought you the totally fantastic "Pick Me Up, Put Me Down", find out where the Bermuda Triangle is, whether alien abductions actually happen, and the truth about crop circles. Explore lost worlds, unravel secret codes, marvel at mysterious places and meet spooks, spies, secret keepers and scandal makers of the world. When you've finished r... read more

This book is a new edition of this hugely popular title, which is the ultimate guide to things to do and create, including projects involving spycraft, science experiments, paper projects and jokes and tricks. Learn how to create and crack codes, wow your friends with magic tricks, make pop-up cards, make a rainbow and create your own investigations using amazing detection techniques. All activities are fully illustrated with step-by-step instructions. It is a sure-fire hit with nostalgic parents and busy children alike.

Come with bestselling author Adeline Yen Mah on a journey through China, land of dragons and emperors, mystery and history. Discover the secrets of the past and the wonder of the present in this extraordinary land. Did you know that paper was first used in China? - as were gunpowder, iron stirrups for horses, magnetic compasses and many other wonderful things. Language, lucky numbers, festivals, beliefs about colours, the practice of foot-binding, the building of the Great Wall, how silk is made - such topics are woven through the ... read more

There is nothing more amazing than the human brain. It will be with you for your entire life, it will grow and change with you - it is you! So it's worth finding out as much as possible about it.
In Know Your Brain, Nicola Morgan explains how the brain functions and how to make it work in the best possible way. With sections on intelligence and learning styles, keeping the brain fit and healthy - including Nicola's own delicious recipe for 'brain cake' - and lots of tests and quizzes, this book explores the marvellous thing t... read more

This book is written in a way that pre-schoolers will understand and yet gives a message that all ages should learn. It is an important book for the new generation. A beautifully simple book for small children where transforming pages reveal ten things that everyone can do to help conserve their world. Many of them, such as turning off the television properly, walking to school and turning off lights when leaving a room, are about conserving energy. Others, such as feeding the birds in winter and growing plants from seed, will enco... read more

This work is a series of eye-opening profiles and stories about women as warriors, from a Roman empress to an Irish pirate, from a woman samurai to a Russian fighter pilot in World War II. Psst! It's true! This is the best book on warrior women you'll ever read! Warning: This is not a book about saints or do-gooders. This is a book about lying, cheating, bullying, murdering, vengeful women. They murdered their husbands, executed their enemies and stole whole countries from their rivals. Read this book to find out about legendar... read more

Rewind history to the juicy bits, let me take you there. Do you think history is just about boring dates and long-dead kings and queens? Open me up and I'll show you 200,000 years, 106,456,367,669 people, 5,000 languages, 100 million books, 10,000 religions, 119 great empires, seven ancient wonders, two world wars, one Elvis and zero boring stuff. Let me take you back and explore history as you've never seen it before. Read Napoleon's profile on a social networking site and see a news anchorman present the headlines as the he... read more

Representing a world of fantasy and dreams, fairies hold a timeless fascination for little girls everywhere - they love to dress up as these delicate creatures and imagine their enchanted realm. Fairies represent all the most feminine qualities: they are dainty, beautiful, graceful and tiny - and they can cast magic spells. Each beautifully illustrated spread in this wonderful book explores an aspect of fairy lore, from Fairyland to fairy magic and mischief. Learn about the most famous of these characters, from Tinker Bell to the b... read more

Rangitito: Te toka tu moana /The Rock Standing in the Ocean tells the dramatic story of Auckland's most striking icon - its birth, the kaka bird's connection to Rangitoto, the imprint of humans on its fragile wildlife, and how the island's guardians are saving it today. Maria Gill's lyrical and informative story accompanied by Heather Arnold's superbly detailed illustrations make Rangitoto a book to be treasured and pored over by children and adults alike.

This is a book about nature for naughty kids. Nice kids learn about the life-cycle of the monarch butterfly and tadpoles turning into frogs. Naughty kids want to know about squashed hedgehogs and dead pukeko. Nice kids like to look at books with pretty pictures of puppy dogs and kittens. Naughty kids would rather see blood and guts and maggots. And dinosaurs. Don't forget the dinosaurs.

Discover the lives of some impressive New Zealand men and women - people who have achieved fame through their exploits as scientists, pioneers, adventurers, leaders, inventors, artists and sportspeople.
Where have they come from? What was their early childhood like? What made them successful? This collection samples and celebrates 50 famous New Zealanders. As well as the greats - Sir Edmund Hillary, Sir Peter Blake and Jean Batten - there are experts on Giant squid and orca, powerful women, one of the most famous film pro... read more

Following on the runaway success of "This is New York," Universe is thrilled to reissue two more titles from M. Sasek's beloved children's travel series: "This is London" and "This is Paris." Like "This is New York" and "This is San Francisco," "This is London" and "This is Paris" are facsimile editions of Sasek's original titles. His brilliant, vibrant illustrations have been meticulously preserved and remain true to his vision. With the passing of time facts have been updated where applicable in the back of each book. Perfect sou... read more

First published in 1960, Sasek's vision of New York still remains fresh. He captured the essence of New York that delights children and parents, many of whom who will remember the book from their childhood. Full-color.