Outdoor adventure, green cookery and mind reading by various authors - book reviews -

Children are firmly in focus with three entertaining new books which aim to help youngsters navigate their way to a healthier and happier future.
The Ordnance Survey Kids’ Adventure BookThe Ordnance Survey Kids’ Adventure Book
The Ordnance Survey Kids’ Adventure Book

Age 8 plus:

The Ordnance Survey Kids’ Adventure Book

Ordnance Survey Leisure Limited and Dr Gareth Moore

Map out your summer adventures with a brilliant new book that is bursting with ideas, knowledge… and fun!

The brains behind The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book and The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Tour of Britain have created the ultimate guide to adventure with this entertaining introduction to map-reading, navigation and the great outdoors.

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If you have a yearning to explore the great outdoors and want to become an expert map-reader, the Ordnance Survey Kids’ Adventure Book is guaranteed to send you on your way armed with hints and tips from the boffins who actually make maps.

Created by Ordnance Survey, who make maps for the whole of the British Isles, this bold and busy activity book teaches youngsters how to read a map like an expert, and explore the countryside.

And when they have worked through all the fun facts and top tips, they can test their skills with map-reading puzzles and challenges guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment.

Along the way, you can discover some of the UK’s amazing National Park areas, like the Lake District, Snowdonia and the New Forest, meet inspirational explorers such as Sir Walter Raleigh, Lizzie Le Blond and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, and learn how use a compass, tackle outdoor fires and call for help if needed.

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From planning your adventures to packing your walking essentials and mapping your route, there could be no better time to strap on your boots and head for the hills and byways!

(Puffin, hardback, £12.99)

Age 8 plus:

Green Kids Cook: Simple, delicious recipes & top tips

Jenny Chandler

In a world increasingly aware of the importance of saving our planet, here is the perfect way to cook up a better, brighter, healthier future.

Jenny Chandler, a cookery teacher and food writer, is passionate about the vital role of honest home-cooking in both the health of people and the planet. She believes that children who love to cook possess an invaluable life skill and usually thrive, eating more adventurously too.

Author of Cool Kids Cook, Chandler teaches the cooks of the future how to eat well, how to look after themselves and think about the planet at the same time and works to promote plant-focused diets, with their environmental and nutritional benefits.

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There is a massive rise in interest in veganism, vegetarian cooking and reducing meat consumption and, whilst this book is not purely plant-based, the world of vegetables, grains, pulses, nuts and seeds is at its core, with the odd tip about using sustainable meat and fish.

Her new book, Green Kids Cook, includes over 50 easy and adaptable recipes and special feature spreads on the environment, simple ways to be more eco-friendly and even a few fun crafting projects.

There are many ‘green’ cookbooks on the market for adults, but there tends to be a lack of anything inspiring for children. With rising levels of obesity and all the related health issues, Chandler believes it is important to get youngsters eating more veg. And there can be no better way to do that than letting them take the reins in the kitchen.

Green Kids Cook is about learning to cook and eat in the most environmentally sound and sustainable way we can, and having fun with it too with recipes for breakfasts, snacks, soups and salads, mains and sweets.

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An inspirational and empowering cook book… and the perfect way to engage the next generation of foodies!

(Pavilion, paperback, £14.99)

Age 9 plus:

The Book of Me: A Children’s Journal of Self-Knowledge

The School of Life and illustrator Ben Javens

Sit back, make yourself comfortable, and get ready for a fascinating journey… into your own mind!

Children are born with a boundless desire to understand the world around them so help them to explore a place they might yet know well through the fun activities and exercises in The Book of Me, a clever and entertaining guided journal of self-discovery

The book is designed to develop children’s understanding of themselves and their feelings and comes from The School of Life, a global organisation helping people lead more fulfilled lives by providing resources for exploring self-knowledge, relationships, work, socialising, finding calm and enjoying culture through content, community and conversation.

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Children learn that while most of the outside world has already been mapped, there is a whole other world that has yet to be discovered, one that’s accessible only to them… their own minds.

By travelling ‘inside’ themselves, youngsters can explore their mind, their moods, their imagination, their conscience, and how they determine the course of their lives.

Alongside wise and engaging explanations of ideas, each chapter contains a wealth of interactive exercises that together help to create a rich and unique self-portrait. Through writing, drawing, cutting out and colouring in, children can begin to untangle the mysteries of existence and work out who they really are and who they might become.

Illustrated by Ben Javens, and combining psychology, philosophy and sheer fun, The Book of Me is an introduction to the vital art of self-knowledge, showing how it can help us grow into calmer, wiser and more rounded human beings.

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And with over fifty activities and exercises to enjoy along the way, this is a gentle, reassuring and informative way to help children develop their self-awareness and emotional literacy.

(The School of Life Press, paperback, £18)