The Big Story of Being Alive: A Brilliant Book About What Makes You EXTRAORDINARY; Neal Layton23/2/2023
Discover what makes living things like you and me alive, and why that is EXTRAORDINARY in this fascinating and fabulous book.
For years, people have hypothesised, argued and disagreed about what it means to be alive. Is it the spirit? The ability to think? Logic? A cardiovascular system? Scientists have proven that there are some traits that all living things share and it is these characteristics that separate the living from the not living. Sunflower…living. Human…living. Frog…living. Robot…not living. Stone…definitely not living. Being alive is AWESOME and this is the big story…
Neal Layton delivers another engaging, entertaining and fact-filled non-fiction picture book, the subject matter this time…how we identify living things, or, ‘The Big Story of Being Alive’. Bursting with playful and vibrant artwork, Layton takes his audience on a fresh and funny adventure that explores the three key factors that determine if something can be classified as living (FYI - it has cells, it grows, it can make more of itself).
These three big ideas - cells, growth and reproduction - are all placed under the proverbial microscope and are explored and explained in a child-friendly and age appropriate way. Whilst avoiding going into too much detail, Layton strikes the perfect balance of scientific information and humour without ever patronising his readers.
Plenty of literal playful finger-pointing pokes fun at things and guides the reader to various illustrations, and a poor robot, who bears the brunt of several jokes, is reminded that it is very much not alive and finds itself dumped in the ‘Not Living Things’ box. Children will love this book and it would be a superb classroom resource when exploring living things. Big, bright, bold and brilliant. Non-fiction at its informative and eye-catching best! Recommended for 7+. With huge thanks to Hachette and Wren & Rook for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.
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