Spartacus Review

Volume 37: 23rd September, 2009

Children's Books

	Title: Ripley's Wild Animals Author: Camilla de la Bedoyere Publisher: R Books Price: £9.99 Bookshop: Amazon Spartacus Website: Primary School Websites Category: Children's Books
"Ripley's Twists" bring a fun, engaging and uniquely Ripley's approach to a whole range of topics, from the human body to space. Each title blends stunning full-colour photographs and illustrations with clear explanations and extraordinary facts that are guaranteed to inform and to entertain. In "Wild Animals" you will find: key information - everything from how much an elephant eats per day to how flies digest their food; intriguing bite-size facts - a swarm of desert locusts devours 32 million kilograms of food every 24 hours; real-life stories - like the Malaysian reticulated python who swallowed an entire sheep and then, too full to move, had to be hauled off the road by firemen; 'Big word alert' glossaries - clear and straightforward explanations of difficult words such as 'omnivore'; stunning photographs and detailed diagrams; and, a full-colour pull-out poster.

	Title: Ripley Mighty Machines Author: Ian Graham Publisher: R Books Price: £9.99 Bookshop: Amazon Spartacus Website: Primary School Websites Category: Children's Books
"Ripley's Twists" bring a fun, engaging and uniquely Ripley's approach to a whole range of topics, from the human body to space. Each title blends stunning full-colour photographs and illustrations with clear explanations and extraordinary facts that are guaranteed to inform and to entertain. In "Mighty Machines" you will find: key information - everything from how much a monster truck wheel costs to how the drivers stay safe; intriguing bite-size facts - a monster truck can jump a distance of 40 metres; real-life stories - like Bigfoot, whose giant tires were originally made in the 1950s for the US Army to use on an Arctic snow train in Alaska; 'Big word alert' glossaries - clear and straightforward explanations of difficult words; stunning photographs and detailed diagrams; and, a full-colour pull-out poster.

	Title: Ripley's Human Body Author: Camilla de la Bedoyere Publisher: R Books Price: £9.99 Bookshop: Amazon Spartacus: Science Websites Category: Children's Books
"Ripley's Twists" bring a fun, engaging and uniquely Ripley's approach to a whole range of topics, from the human body to space. Each title blends stunning full-colour photographs and illustrations with clear explanations and extraordinary facts that are guaranteed to inform and to entertain. In "Mighty Machines" you will find: key information - everything from how much a monster truck wheel costs to how the drivers stay safe; intriguing bite-size facts - a monster truck can jump a distance of 40 metres; real-life stories - like Bigfoot, whose giant tires were originally made in the 1950s for the US Army to use on an Arctic snow train in Alaska; 'Big word alert' glossaries - clear and straightforward explanations of difficult words; stunning photographs and detailed diagrams; and, a full-colour pull-out poster.

	Title: Ripley's Believe It or Not! Author: Robert Le Roy Ripley Publisher: R Books Price: £18.99 Bookshop: Amazon Spartacus Website: Websites 5-11 Category: Children's Books
Following hot on the heels of last year's best-selling edition, "Ripley's Believe It or Not! 2010" offers a whole new feast of bizarre facts, fiends and freaks - all guaranteed to fascinate, surprise and amaze. Marvel at the ice man, who survived Everest's 'Death Zone' in just a pair of shorts; try not to scream in fright at the living zombie, covered head to toe in ghoulish tattoos; steel your stomach against the sight of cockroach and caterpillar sushi; and praise the heroic pet parrot who saved a family from their burning home. Illustrated throughout with extraordinary colour photographs, this fascinating book is a must-have for anyone intrigued by the stranger aspects of our planet and its inhabitants.