When Lonely Planet Kids got in touch offering us the chance to check out a couple of their new Lonely Planet Kids books, we couldn’t resist.
We are a household that loves our books, and I like to add to the kids’ reference books selection as much as their fiction shelves.
These new titles have been brought out just in time for Christmas, so if you’re like me and always like to buy your kids at least one new book for Christmas, this is perfect timing.
We were sent two surprise titles, How Animals Build and Dinosaur Atlas.
Lonely Planet Kids Books
How Animals Build
Explore the incredible world of animal architects. Lift the flaps and open gatefolds to discover amazing animal homes up high, underground, on land and under the sea. From spider’s webs and rabbit warrens, to bird’s nests and ant colonies, Lonely Planet Kids reveals the secrets to these extraordinary structures and how they’re built. Created in consultation with Michael Leach, wildlife author, speaker, photographer and filmographer. Michael is the author of more than 20 books on subjects ranging from big cats and owls to great apes and bears. RRP £12.99
Dinosaur Atlas
Travel back over 200 million years to a time when dinosaurs roamed all over the world from the Americas to Antarctica. Unfold the maps and lift the flaps to reveal amazing facts about how they lived and where they were discovered. Then learn about the people who unearthed them and see how you measure up against amazing life-sized photographs! Created in consultation with Dr David Button, palaeontologist and all-round ‘dino-detective’ at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. RRP £12.99
I love these books. I’ll just say that here up front, as there is so much to love about them.
First impressions are great, they are hardback books with thick glossy, colourful pages. I can see them making gorgeous gifts, and my two were certainly pleased to receive them.
They are just jam-packed with information, and every page is a treasure trove of facts.
The Dinosaur Atlas begins with an overview of the dino world and different periods, before taking us around the world by continent sharing finds of the dinosaurs that lived there and the latest theories on how they lived, what’s known about them, fossils found and so much more.
How Animals Build is absolutely fascinating and quite a different subject to anything we’ve read about before. It covers so many different animals across the world, from lift the flaps over the warrens through to insights into nest building, every page brings with it new learns, sparking new conversations.
As you can see, every single page is crammed full of information, but it’s all broken down into fun little sections, making it an engaging read.
Many of the pages in both books open up into full page spreads, and there are flaps dotted throughout. It keeps it all interesting and makes you want to read on and on.
Every inch of these book is scattered with information, as it starts on the inside cover all the way through to the back cover, no paper and space is wasted, and they are a pleasure to read.
I lost the kids to them!
Little Man tells me that the books are ‘cool’, high praise indeed, and his favourite part is looking at dinosaur bones and skeletons.
Boo thinks the books are fantastic and sits there reading to herself, then regularly piping up with a new learn that has astonished her.
These are the kind of books that you can dip in and out of, discovering so many new facts.
They are interactive, with pull out pages, lift the flaps and they have been great for getting the kids thinking. Both books are hits here and I am now keen to explore the other titles in the range.
At Lonely Planet Kids, there are lots of free activities to help take this further, from activities families can do at home to the LP Kids blog, containing contributions from younger travellers and interviews with interesting people and travellers from around the world.
Anyone signing up to the Lonely Planet Kids newsletter gets 30% off their first Lonely Planet Kids purchase, along with the inspiring family travel articles, fun activity sheets and news.
Do go check them out, they are fabulous books. Do you think your children would enjoy these?
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post, though all opinions are ours