It's about time we had some non-fiction in this list, and what better series of books to feature than the wonderful "Welcome to the Museum" series from Big Picture Press.

These gigantic books aim to recreate the thrill (for us at least) of visiting museums, checking the exhibits and hopefully learning something new.

The series kicked off with "Animalium", a thorough and meticulously curated guide to all the creatures that stalk, wade, swim or crawl across our beautiful planet.

If you've ever visited the fascinating (but quite grisly) Natural History Museum at Tring you'll probably feel right at home with a book that puts so many species in front of you, so many creatures both familiar and unfamiliar - and presents them like a classic Victorian reference book.

In fact that theme is common to all the "Ium" books, as they're just so beautifully put together, always with a team of experts and an amazing set of illustrators to bring the 'exhibits' to life.

"Botanicum" is another favourite, like a beautiful book-based version of some of our favourite destinations such as Kew Gardens or the Batsford Arboretum.

This time an amazing collection of plant life has been brought together, from the mundane to the exotic, showing just how vibrant and diverse the planet's plant life is, and how so many different species and sub-species contribute a huge amount to our world and the preservation of life that relies on these plants to survive (including us, of course!)

Once again though the book is lovingly crafted to look like those fabulously illustrated Victorian plant-collector journals, it's brought bang up to date with new scientific knowledge of plants and their benefits, and for us the section on Fungi is awesome (as we're a bit obsessed about them to be honest!)

Each book is massive, which helps the level of engagement when you're sprawled out on the floor with these, either just browsing through or looking up a nugget of information for a school project or a piece of artwork (they are really lovely reference books that will last your kids years!)

"Anatomicum" is our favourite by far though, turning its steely gaze on our own bodies and how incredible they are, thanks to a good dig through the Wellcome Collection.

Inside-out, the book is packed with detail about the amazing biological machine that is the human body, from our skeletons to our nerves, our vital organs and our skin.

We are amazing - and this book is too, illustrated with so much detail and, like the other books, really useful if your kids are studying Biology and need a really thoroughly researched reference book that doesn't talk its subject down to the simplest levels, yet is instantly child-friendly and approachable thanks to great design and fantastic descriptions.

All of the books in the series are worth checking out, and we feel very lucky to have quite a collection of them. Non-Fiction has had something of a golden age and a brilliant revival over the course of the last ten years while we've been beavering away at this blog. Stunning books like this just show how you can 'win kids back' from their screens if the source material in fabulous non-fic is put together in the most amazing ways.

Original Review Links: 

ReadItDaddy's Second Picture Book of the Week - Week Ending 1st December 2017 - "Dinosaurium (Welcome to the Museum Series)" by Lily Murray and Chris Wormell (Big Picture Press)

ReadItDaddy's Second Picture Book of the Week - Week Ending 25th October 2019: "Anatomicum (Welcome to the Museum Series)" by Dr Jennifer Z. Paxton and Katy Wiedemann (Big Picture Press / Wellcome Collection)

ReadItDaddy's First Picture Book of the Week - Week Ending 19th October 2018: "Planetarium (Welcome to the Museum)" by Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell (Big Picture Press)

ReadItDaddy's Book of the Week - Week Ending 12th December 2014 - "Animalium - Welcome to the Museum" by Jenny Broom and Katie Scott (Big Picture Press)

ReadItDaddy's First Book of the Week - Week Ending 23rd September 2016 - "Botanicum - Welcome to the Museum" by Professor Kathy Willis and Katie Scott (Big Picture Press)

ReadItDaddy's First Book of the Week - Week Ending 23rd September 2016 - "Botanicum - Welcome to the Museum" by Professor Kathy Willis and Katie Scott (Big Picture Press)

There are so many ways to draw children's natural curiosity about times past and we've seen some stunning non-fiction titles over the last ten years of book blogging.

History texts have veered away from dishing up facts in a cold, almost academic manner into something far more rich, colourful and diverse and that's a fantastic way to describe "Viking Voyagers" by Jack Tite.

You'll already have a mental image in your head of what a Viking looks like. Red haired, horned helmet, swinging an axe, looting a few chapels and setting sail in fearsome longboats. But Jack digs far deeper into their history, their culture and the amazing achievements and discoveries they made, as well as their pioneering spirit reaching out across the globe to conquer new territories.

Vikings were incredibly artistic and creative, and the rich heritage of their art and designs is also described in the book with fantastic facts and brilliant illustrations.

A Viking Longboat. A fearsome sight but a truly brilliant nautical design

Every aspect of Viking life is examined in great detail, in a book that like all the best kid non-fic stuff works just as well in school / class or at home, perfect as the basis for classroom projects.

Amazingly detailed spreads like this really bring the subject to life

Sum this book up in a sentence: A fantastically detailed and gorgeously illustrated book chock full of information about the Vikings and dispelling many of the myths built up around their amazing culture.

"Viking Voyagers" by Jack Tite is out now, published by Big Picture Press (kindly supplied for review)

Our Second Book of the Week this week is a truly stunning delve underneath our own skins, in what has swiftly become our favourite of the fantastic "Welcome to the Museum" books.

"Anatomicum" by Dr Jennifer Z. Paxton and Katy Wiedemann peels back our outer layers for a look inside our truly amazing bodies.

From our skeletons through to our vital organs, our skin, our eyes, our teeth and our ears we are truly amazing - as are our bodies.

In this luxurious book, Jennifer has produced thoroughly intelligent and thought-provoking text to work alongside Katy's amazing anatomical illustrations, making this book feel like a classic Victorian anatomy book brought bang up to date in colour and detail.

As you've come to expect from the "Welcome to the Museum" series, you have front row seats in an exploration of our bodies, from the sublime to the grisly, the functional to the truly amazing.

Let's take a look inside at some of the gorgeous page spreads...

Why didn't the skeleton go to the dance? Because he had no body to go with!

Clearly labelled illustrations, with accompanying text that piques children's curiosity, this is a stunning piece of work indeed.

Ooch, me Alvioli!

Sum this book up a sentence: A fabulous, truly luxurious book about our bodies, inside and out, and our favourite addition to the "Welcome to the Museum" series.

"Anatomicum" by Dr Jennifer Z. Paxton and Katy Wiedemann is out now, published by Big Picture Press / Wellcome Collection (kindly supplied for review). 

Bugs, love 'em or hate 'em (and during the summer you're probably like us, not a fan of 'em), they play a vitally important part in our ecosystem, as deftly demonstrated by super-talent Britta Teckentrup in her new book "There are Bugs Everywhere"

And yes, they truly are everywhere, in fact did you know that if it wasn't for bugs, we'd probably be wading neck-deep in all sorts of waste matter that bugs are extremely good at breaking down?

This and many other facts are explored in this highly colourful book perfect for early years kids who love all things creepy, crawly, flittery and slithery.

From the humble shield bug to the mighty bee, bugs play their role in ensuring our planet can carry on functioning as it does, and though we seemingly do our best to kill them off, we need them more than ever.

They're our pollinators, our waste disposal experts, and effective predators that keep even more pestilential critters from bugging us. Bugs are indeed everywhere and deserve to be celebrated.

Let's take a look inside, shall we then?

Bugs eat everything. From dung, to leaves, to...er...bits of us. Lovely!

Roam across the world and you'll find billions of different species, including the all important ones we cannot do without...

Never a moment's peace in the middle of a beehive.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A colourful and brilliant celebration of all things bug-like.

"There are Bugs Everywhere" by Britta Teckentrup is out now, published by Big Picture Press (kindly supplied for review). 

"Oooh they've got a bit about Fibonacci sequences in here!" shouted C excitedly as she intercepted this latest book parcel.

"Fibo-whaaa?" I replied. I am number blind you see, to me, maths is one of life's great mysteries - and I'm really glad that C has not taken after her old man in this instance.

"The Language of the Universe: A Visual Exploration of Mathematics" by Colin Stuart and Ximo Abadia had succeeded in its first intention then, to hook in young readers who might (like me) hear the word "Maths" and run a mile.

C is actually extremely good at maths in school though it's probably her least favourite subject. This fascinating visual dictionary of the history of mathematics stretches back through time to Ancient civilisations who first developed a deep understanding of numbers and sums, right through to the modern day and our heavy reliance on algorithms, heuristics and formulae to make the modern world function as it does.

Colin and Ximo make good use of a ton of amazing mathematical facts, brilliantly illustrated in sharp graphical style, to win your kids over. Let's take a closer look inside at some of the page spreads to see what's cookin', maths-wise.

Truly the language of the universe, there are mathematical constants, even out in space.

Kids are naturally curious, and this book does a fantastic job of stimulating that curiosity by describing the wonders of mathematics, and how even the simplest equations have rocked our world.

Maths even plays a part in the creative world.

It's a brilliant all-ages book, a fascinating insight into a subject that many kids may not enjoy, but will find new fascination with after dipping into this.

Triangles, triangles everywhere!

Sum this book up in a sentence: A truly fascinating and brilliantly presented guide to mathematics, produced in a way that doesn't instantly turn kids off.

"The Language of the Universe: A Visual Exploration of Mathematics" by Colin Stuart and Ximo Abadia is out on 22nd August 2019, published by Big Picture Press (kindly supplied for review). 

You'll see an AWFUL lot of "Alice in Wonderland" books around at the moment, new anthologies of stories based on Lewis Carrol's amazing books, and of course tons and tons of spin-offs and abridged versions.

But how about a huge, brilliantly detailed and luxurious book full of amazing visual puzzles, ranging from amazingly complex mazes, to 'spot the difference' spreads, and tons of hidden objects to spot.

in "Alice in Wonderland - A Puzzle Adventure" by Aleksandra Artymowska you'll find Alice's story laid out as a series of brain-bending puzzle challenges for you to wrap your grey matter around.

There are tons and tons of pages in this, covering the entirety of the story - and all of our favourite bits from Alice falling down the endless hole to enter Wonderland, to a certain queen with a penchant for red roses (even if they're painted white ones!)

More tea, anyone?

All your favourite characters appear, from Alice herself to the Mad Hatter and Mad March Hare.

Can you spot the cheshire cat? Look for his grin!

It's an impressive book, perfect for sprawling out on the floor with.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A devilishly challenging set of themed puzzles based on the stories of Lewis Carroll, and utterly chock full of detail.

"Alice in Wonderland - A Puzzle Adventure" by Aleksandra Artymowska is out now, published by Big Picture Press (kindly supplied for review). 

We feel very lucky to be inundated with a whole smorgasbord of glorious space exploration books ahead of the 50th Anniversary of the first Moon Landing.

Many books take different approaches to presenting information about how humans went from getting off the ground for the first time in balloons and gliders, to the first aeroplanes and then eventually the first unmanned and manned rockets.

"Balloon to the Moon" by Gill Arbuthnott and Chris Nielsen is the perfect example of how to present factual information in a thoroughly immersive and totally engaging way.

Taking a deliciously retro-style approach with the presentation and artwork, which looks like awesome space propaganda art from the 1950s (as well as the sort of art you'd see adorning space toys of the same era), Chris's glorious illustrations fit Gill's brilliant research and writing absolutely perfectly, summing up what it must have felt like for humankind at the time the space race kicked off proper.

But this is more than just a book about space, it's filled with so many brilliant little facts that fit around our own quest to leave our planet behind, either within the confines of our own atmosphere, or out there amongst the stars.

Let's take a look at some of the amazing pages inside...

What's it like being in freefall? Ever been in a lift that descends rapidly?

The facts and explanations are really thorough and easy to understand, but this is a book that works for quite a wide age range, most kids will find themselves absolutely enthralled by it.

Rockets go BOOM!

You'll be hard pressed to find a better space facts book ahead of the 50th Anniversary. This is really superb.

Houston, the Eagle has Landed!

C really loved this one, very easy to get into and very difficult to put down! It also reminded me of the sort of non fiction books I used to love as a kid and that's a good thing, honestly.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A thorough, brilliantly presented and gloriously illustrated book that chronicles our quest to fly amongst the stars.

"Balloon to the Moon" by Gill Arbuthnott and Chris Nielsen is out now, published by Big Picture Press (kindly supplied for review). 

We're back at the museum, or to be more precise, the Planetarium with two new editions of the fantastic book from Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell.

"Welcome to the Museum: Planetarium" is a completely gorgeous and immersive book that will give kids a truly stunning introduction to the wonders of outer space, and our solar system.

A planet-by-planet guide, there are tons of facts about the history of space exploration, and of course loads of amazing info about each planet. What would it be like to live on Mars? (Clue: Colder than living here!) What is Neptune primarly made of?

All these answers and more lay within this gorgeous book, now newly available as a smaller compact "kids" edition.

"Welcome to the Museum: Planetarium" by Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell is out now, published by Big Picture Press.

....and if you can't get enough of space, there's also an activity book based on this amazing title too!



The activity book is the perfect accompaniment for space-crazy kids who love testing out their knowledge, or taking part in loads of different activities and fun puzzles. Again, in a smaller format, this one's perfect for taking with you on holiday to brush up on your space knowledge and astronaut skills.

"Welcome to the Museum: Planetarium Activity Book" by Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell is also out now, published by Big Picture Press. 

(Both titles very kindly supplied for review).

History and humour go together like the silkiest peanut butter and the most sticky strawberry jam (and if you don't like peanut butter and jam sandwiches, you can basically do one!)

James Davies is back with his stylish and irreverent look at history, in two fantastic new titles from Big Picture Press.

First is "Meet the Ancient Greeks" - the civilisation that arguably gave us mathematics, astronomy and enhanced our cultural well-being with works of gorgeous art, amazing architecture and some blisteringly brilliant myths and legends.

But were the Ancient Greeks all they were cracked up to be? Let's really take a look at what made one of the greatest civilisations tick in this fab little book full of crazy humour but with tons of facts to underpin the giggles.

Who let the gods out? Well, the Ancient Greeks did. A lot.

Delving expertly into all aspects of Ancient Greek culture, James' stylised illustrations work brilliantly once again, making this a fantastic addition to any young would-be historian's book collection.

"Meet the Ancient Greeks" by James Davies is out now, published by Big Picture Press. 

James doesn't stop there though, he spins his time-wheel further forward in history in "Meet the Pirates" - another fantastic title in the "Meet the" series, tackling the real-life subject of pirates who were the scourge of the seven seas around the 15th Century and beyond.

Learn all about some of the most famous pirates, such as Blackbeard (famous for - well, you've guessed it - a big bushy black beard and various creative ways of dispatching his enemies - ew!)

Find out what life was like on-board ship. Scurvy-raddled, dying of thirst, often missing eyes and limbs, but with the lure of booty ever-present, a pirate's life for thee? Well why not, eh? James makes it all look so fun and brilliant but there are plenty of real-life facts that show life on the ocean wave wasn't all it was cracked up to be!

No washing! Sounds like C's dream come true, the stinky little tyke!

"Meet the Pirates" by James Davies is also available now, published by Big Picture Press. 

(Both books very kindly supplied for review).

If there's one prediction we'd like to make - and truly hope for it to come true - it'd be that children's books continue to comment on the massive damage we're doing to our planet, encouraging our youngsters to take a stand and do something about it - and convince their daft elders to do the same.

In "Alba The Hundred Year Old Fish" by Lara Hawthorne a clear ecological message is beautifully woven into the story of Alba who loves to roam the oceans.

Alba has spent her entire life collecting precious objects that drift down to the ocean floor.

From delicate shells to brightly coloured coral, each year on her birthday she gathers one more precious item.

But over the years, Alba notices her collection is losing its sparkle and that the world is changing.

What are these bits of plastic and metal?

Alba loves to collect rare and precious objects in the oceans.

As the coral reef fades, Alba decides to leave her home behind - and after a traumatic incident with a plastic bottle, Alba makes it her new mission in life to try and educate folk - to bring the oceans back to their former glory.

The coral reef is beautiful but how long can it stay that way if we continue to pollute our oceans?

After a year when the true extent of pollution in our oceans was finally brought into the public eye in the harrowing scenes witnessed in Blue Planet II, there's still a huge need for books like this. Not preachy, but full of glorious illustrations and a touching story that will really help to bring its point across.

Glorious stuff.

"Alba the Hundred Year Old Fish" by Lara Hawthorne is out now, published by Big Picture Press (kindly supplied for review). 

Wowsers, more brilliance from the talented team that brought you "The Atlas of Monsters" - Let's cheer for the good guys and gals...!

Time for another truly amazing non-fic title from mega publishers Big Picture Press...

Our first Picture Book of the Week this week performs an impossible feat, cramming the entire universe into a book...

By now, most of you younglings will be kicking off a new school year and perhaps a new voyage of discovery and learning...

Our second Picture Book of the Week is a truly stunning homage to an absolutely amazing novel...

Our first Picture Book(s) of the week are a fantastic pair of new non-fiction titles covering two of our favourite eras of history..

Our second Picture Book of the Week is a colossus, a huge book filled with some of the largest creatures to ever stalk the earth. We're joining the blog tour for Dinosaurium!

Our Second Picture Book of the Week this week proves that Big Picture Press have come back with a bang towards the end of the year, putting out some truly stunning books...

We really, really love map books, atlases and quality non fiction so we were extremely excited to see a copy of "Urban Jungle" pop through our door...

The "Welcome to the Museum" series of utterly amazing non-fiction books, curated by Katie Scott with Fiona Munro and Ruth Symons now adopts a smaller format, but continues to blaze a trail for non-fiction titles to follow.

"The Story of Life" extends the previous fold-out edition of this title line into a fantastic small format hardback book that may be diminutive in size, but certainly packs a heck of a lot of information in between its gloriously decorated covers.

Once again, we're treated to an amazing and well researched slice of natural history, stemming as far back as the very first emergence of life on our planet, right through to the more complex organisms and animals that we recognise as each era in earth's history ushered in amazing examples of evolutionary diversity.

Having previously been wowed by other "Welcome to the Museum" titles such as Botanicum and Animalium, we really couldn't wait to see how this new smaller format would work.

In fact, as much as we love huge huge books that you need to sprawl out on the floor with, there's definitely something neater about this approach. Books that can easily be tucked into a school bag to take into school and use in lessons are definitely a win for Charlotte, and as we said at the top of the review, there's no paring down of content - which is of course the most important part of any decent Non-Fiction title.

The Triassic Period - Amazing and bizarre creatures emerged, the predecessors of many animals we know today.

Personally, I just can't get enough of Katie Scott's amazing illustrations, picked out in colour throughout but with that same incredibly detailed 'etched' look about them, instantly making these titles feel like those classic natural history books you might see tucked away in museums.

Meet your great great great great great great great (go on and on for a couple of years) grandparents!

There are now so many fantastic quality non-fiction titles around that we're really pleased to see Big Picture Press continuing to publish books that really show how it should be done. Beautifully presented, gorgeously illustrated, thoroughly researched and well written, and able to span a huge wide age range, these are definitely keepers whether you choose to buy them for school or for home.

"The Story of Life" by Fiona Munro, Ruth Symons and Katie Scott is out now, published by Big Picture Press (kindly supplied for review).