We are absolute Lego nerds on the blog, and though this book is a few years old, it was rather a lovely present to receive from my wonderful Mother in Law (who REALLY knows how to pick presents out for me).

"Lego: Absolutely Everything you Need to Know" is a luxurious deep dive into the world of those utterly addictive plastic bricks.

If you, like me, find yourself still playing with Lego as an adult, you'll absolutely love the approach this book takes - digging back in time to the history of the Lego company, and also taking a look at the various innovations, the different sets, and of course a whole ton of amazing anecdotes surrounding this brilliant building block - and all its weird and wonderful variants.

Did you know, for example, that Lego are the largest tyre manufacturer on the planet? They make more tyres for Lego vehicles than anyone else.

Did you also know that Lego kits have genuinely been into space?

The history of the Lego company, from wooden toys to plastic bricks and beyond

The presentation and layout of each spread is absolutely brilliant, and we loved spotting kits that we'd had as kids - as well as some that are still being proudly displayed here at ReadItDaddy Towers.

Lego is 'wheely' great!

All the stats, facts and clever 'in jokes' that get worked into the products are just amazing, and this big thick tome will keep your (ahem) youngsters occupied for ages.

SPACESHIIIIIIIIP!

Utterly, utterly awesome stuff.

Sum this book up in a sentence: The ideal gift for your Lego-loving loved ones, packed full of amazing detail and a ton of jaw-dropping facts about the humble bricks.

"Lego: Absolutely Everything you need to Know" by Dorling Kindersley is out now (bought as a birthday present, not supplied for review). 

There seem to be quite a few excellent books based on amazing journeys and adventures by world famous explorers around at the moment, and today sees the release of a truly spectacular book on the subject, from Nellie Huang and Jessamy Hawke.

"Explorers: Amazing Tales of the World's Greatest Adventurers" is a really inspirational book packed with some of the most incredible quests undertaken throughout history.

Charting how brave folk took to the seas to explore new lands, or charted and explored forbidding landscapes at either pole, this book goes into intricate detail of the journeys themselves and the people who took them, and made history.

Nellie Huang writes with authority, having undertaken several incredible adventures herself through her own adventure travel blog.

Here she pays homage to some very special men and women who overcame adversity to enter the record books, achieving personal goals beyond your wildest dreams. Let's take a look inside...

Jeanne Baret, the first woman to sail around the world

Children will love reading about these adventures, and perhaps will be inspired enough to one day follow in the footsteps of some of these amazing pioneers.

Matthew Henson braved freezing conditions to explore the North Pole

Some folk will be familiar, but many were new to us, making this the perfect book for kids to use as a jumping off point for more research into these fascinating figures.

Karen Darke, overcoming physical disability to continue her amazing quests

Sum this book up in a sentence: A truly breathtaking and inspirational collection of amazing explorers and pioneers, brought together in a luxurious hardback that will keep you gripped for ages.

"Explorers" by Nellie Huang and Jessamy Hawke is out today, published by DK (kindly supplied for review). 

Oooh, two of our favourite things combined in a brilliantly presented and seriously absorbing new book from DK? How could we resist!

Food and Science meet with a pop, and a fizz in "Science you can Eat" by Stefan Gates.

Stefan is a brilliant host in this amusing and utterly fascinating look at our food, and the way our bodies work with it, combined with a ton of awesome recipes and experiments to keep you and your little ones busy in the long summer hols.

We busied ourselves getting right down to the nitty gritty of trying out some of the experiments in this book. Spit and custard? OK We did skip that one, as it sounded a little bit too gross - but learning how our saliva works on our food to make it easier to digest was actually one of the more interesting bits of this book.

We also found out why popcorn pops, why Space Dust fizzes and explodes on our tongues, and - er - why baked beans make your trousers trumpet!

Let's have a look inside this fabulous book!

Our tongues are amazing. Not just for poking out at your teacher or politicians, they're amazingly sensitive to a whole range of flavours and tastes

Stefan's easy style of writing completely captures children's imaginations, and science experiments you can do at home with just a few simple things really make this a complete winner of a book when the kids plaintively cry "We're bored! Find us something to do!"

Yeah we always cry when we slice an onion because we think about all their little onion brothers and sisters missing them. SOB!

The real science behind some of the amazing facts in the book is introduced in a kid-friendly but not dumbed-down way, so you'll come away with a whole gamut of knowledge about food and how we process it. Did you know, for instance, that there really is iron in cornflakes? There's a great experiment in this book to prove it to you!

We all scream for ice cream!! Yum!

As you'd expect from DK, this is a beautifully presented and visually impressive book. Wear a chef's hat AND a lab coat for the proper effect while digging into a ton of amazing experiments that will wow and stun in equal measure.

Sum this book up in a sentence: The perfect book for the long summer hols, round up your pet adults and get busy with a ton of fabulous food-based experiments to tantalise your tastebuds and stimulate your brain!

"Science you can Eat" by Stefan Gates is out now, published by Dorling Kindersley (kindly supplied for review). 

Our first Picture Book of the Week is a gigantic fact-filled blowout of all things Star Wars. Indeed it contains "Absolutely everything you need to know!"