Tuesday 6 September 2016

The Adventures of Earth by Dan Green and Sean Sims (Egmont Publishing)

I remember the big hoohah that was made when the very first interactive books were published. I'm not even talking about the e-book or app phenomena, back way back in the history of computing when the educational benefits of computers vs books was a new debate to be had, computer-based books with interactive elements were deemed to be the future, seeing off print for good.

Some 30 odd years on print is still here, and better still, books like "The Adventures of Earth" are proving that you don't have to make silly noises or feature daft little animations to win kids over with interactive elements.

Dan and Sean have put together a flap-lifting wheel-spinning pop-up book that draws you in and serves up some utterly amazing insights into the planet we call home.

Through exploring through play, kids will swiftly learn why we sometimes refer to the earth as a jigsaw planet, how important the oceans are to the vital ecosystems and life as we know it and how the earth peels like an onion into layers, demonstrating how the planet was formed billions of years ago.

It's a truly stunning example of a non-fiction book that ticks just about every box you could wish for. It's great for a range of ages, it doesn't talk down to its audience, it's fun and makes learning fun and it's utterly and completely fascinating.

"The Adventures of Earth" is released today, 6th September 2016 by Egmont Publishing.