Science, music, trains and climate change. Keep young (and older) minds ticking over the festive break. Click on the image or the title for a link to buy the book from bookshop.org and support local bookshops.
Thames & Hudson, £19.95
A cut out carousel book that tells the stories of four greats in the history of the locomotive: Stephenson’s Rocket, the New York El train, The Flying Scotsman and the TGV and the Shinkansen Bullet train.
What on Earth Books, £14.99
There is so much information packed into this concertina story of music. From the earliest flute in a cave in Germany in 41,000 BCE children and adults alike will have fun finding how the songs we make and the instruments we use to make them have changed over the centuries. Published to celebrate the 150thanniversary of the Royal Albert Hall.
Big Picture Books, £12.99
A wonderfully engaging, nerdy (in the best way) look at the Periodic Table by one of the world’s leading astronomers. Fun, zany and hugely informative. This, very unscientific, adult reviewer has learnt heaps from it.
DK, £12.99
Climate change is, rightly, a topic that can be very scary for children. This fact-based reference book will not allay their fears but in a measured, practical way informs and shows them how they can make a difference. Ages 8+.