The Looking Book: An interactive children’s activity book on art, artists and creativity

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books with characters who are about the same age as your child and characters who have quirky traits The author, John Rayne-Davis, who lives at Copmanthorpe, York, converted to Catholicism in 1995. He is a member of St Wilfrid's Church in York, and all his proceeds from the book go to its refurbishment fund. Written for young readers, this charming account of Charles’s journey from “little Prince to grown-up King” will out-romance any modern fairy tale. EB

Or if your child attends child care, kindergarten or preschool, you could talk to your child’s educators to get ideas. Some preschools allow children to borrow books each week or to bring a special book from home to share with the group. Chant or sing repetitive phrases and words together. For example, ‘I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in’. This is a very readable account of Margaret's short life, set out in short chapters which take the reader towards a much greater understanding of why she forfeited her life in the name of her faith. It is a well-researched work, although some references to the sources consulted would have been welcome. When people familiarise themselves with content and comprehension before they start, they will hopefully become more fluent readers, engage more significantly and meaningfully with the content. Reading stories stimulates your child’s imagination and helps your child learn about the world. For example, reading books can help your child learn about and feel respect for other cultures. Reading also develops your child’s social skills and skills for managing emotions.Nowadays modern university libraries do not have books any more, but computers where you can look a book up and request it using keywords.

The author draws on court records, archives and interviews with Topliss's relatives to produce the truth behind the sensational headlines of the time. She was Chasing Percy for two years; in the book, she has captured him. The female of the species gets – and, it turns out, genuinely needs – an evolutionary history of her own, and in a fascinating study that covers more than 200 million years. SI This superb spy yarn explores 70 years of secret missions through one nonagenarian agent’s eyes, amid a tussle over her ­explosive memoirs. JKThis brutal reality and the tragic story act as a sharp contrast to the free spirit and strong will of our feisty heroine. Amina finds her talents in storytelling, bringing comfort to herself and those around her in their darkest hours. She is honest and brave but remains believable in her acts of defiance. The popular historian offers children a bewitching account of the Greco-Persian Wars told through the eyes of a Spartan princess. EB Add information when your child asks a question. For example, your child might point to a bear and ask, ‘What’s that?’ You could say, ‘That’s a bear. It’s sleeping in its cave. Bears sleep all winter long’. Speaking to her class So what I thought we could do is just discuss the cover and decide what we think the book might be about.

An amusing and lighthearted, yet surprisingly poignant, oral history of post-Britpop bubblegum pop – from the Spice Girls to S Club 7. NMC It’s good to read, talk about books, share stories, and sing every day. This helps your child’s development in many ways. A hard-as-nails Scottish family flee the AI apocalypse, in an funny, poignant and often chilling novel that’s told half in verse, half in prose. TFSBiologist Wagner’s thought-provoking study of “dormant innovations” explains why the good ideas gathering dust vastly outnumber the good ideas whose time has come. SI Then, the story goes, he went on the run disguising himself as an officer, sometimes a general, and leading the police a dance around Britain until he was cornered and shot dead in Penrith, Cumbria. The country singer proves incredibly good company in this book of lyrics, offering sharp, humorous and ­philosophical ­observations on his art. NMC

Both a hymn to modern Delhi and an exposure of its corruption, Kapoor’s epic novel tells the tale of a criminal dynasty that makes the Corleones look like the ­Larkins. JK She replied: "If you say I have offended then I must be tried. I will be tried by none but God, and your consciences." A meticulous and well-judged account of Germany from 1942 to today shows how it transformed itself from pariah nation to leader of a continent. SHHere are books for you and your child to explore. Many of these books have the rhymes, rhythms and repetition that preschoolers love. When your child sees you reading and writing, you’re creating a home environment that develops literacy skills. Your reading and writing can be as simple as reading magazines or newspapers and writing shopping lists or messages for your partner or children. Types of books to read with preschoolers Point out the differences between letters and words and the difference between a lower-case and capital letter. For example, ‘There is a capital M. Can you see how it’s bigger than this lower-case m?’ A timely, impassioned memoir by an Olympic medallist whose differences in sexual development put her at the centre of athetics’ gender controversies. DR With amazing resilience, Lewis perseveres until he finds a solution to every problem. He subtly highlights the ignorances around disability he encounters along the way, with a call to arms to help change this, and ultimately provides inspiration to every reader in how to cope with difficulties, whatever those may be. Highly recommended reading for teenagers and adults alike.