Join in the Halloween adventure to discover fun facts about trick or treating, dressing up, celebrations around the world and the history of Halloween. Did you know that the world's largest pumpkin weighed more than 14 adults? Or that during the Day of the Dead in Mexico, people picnic in graveyards? With over 50 flaps to open, this interactive Halloween book for children makes learning about Halloween traditions fun and accessible. There are more books in the series to collect: In One End and Out the Other (a journey through the digestive system), Sensational Senses and Maths Adventure are all out now. Richard Platt is an award-winning author who has been published in over 30 countries. He has been shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize three times. Richard Watson is a fantastic illustrator of children's books with publishers including Templar, Usborne, Scholastic, OUP, Ladybird and Pearson Education.

Prepare to be infected with fun and fascinating knowledge. The Germ Lab tells the gruesome story of deadly diseases, told by the filthy pests that spread the germs! Discover history's worst epidemics and pandemics and see how and why they happened, including the "Black Death", polio and coronavirus. Hear the "eyewitness" accounts from the pesky rats, flies, ticks and creepy-crawlies who spread the most terrible viruses around the world and cause the most damage. Watch out for terrible typhoid, beware of malicious malaria and learn more about cruel Covid-19. Don't be too scared though. The Germ Lab explains how bacteria and other bad beasties are beaten through the work of genius scientists and with the development of vaccinations. Meet Jon Snow, whose careful observations of the slums of London led him to stop the spread of cholera , and see the world's leading scientists in action as they create life-saving vaccines. Written by Richard Platt and illustrated by John Kelly, the brilliantly humorous artworks and fun characters will entertain young readers with a cabinet war room showing the war on germs, a rogues' gallery highlighting the worst offenders, the very deadliest diseases examined under the microscope, and much more. So grab your lab coat and join forces with science to tackle the war on germs.

Explore the city at the heart of the ancient Roman Empire with Iliona, a Greek girl captured by pirates and sold into slavery. The year is AD102 and Iliona, an educated Greek girl, has been orphaned and sold as a slave in Rome. Apart from her beloved diary, she hasn't a friend in the world... But the family she works for are not unkind, and as Iliona begins to make friends and look around her, she discovers that the teeming city at the heart of the empire is a fascinating place. Through her eyes, watch the Roman army return in triumph from war against the Dacians, visit Nero's baths, witness gladiators fighting in the famous amphitheatre, attend the senate and a sumptuous banquet, escape a house fire, discover how Roman women dress their hair ... and celebrate with her on the day that she is granted her freedom for her bravery!

Why is the Brazilian rainforest vanishing so fast? And why is it essential not only to the people and animals within it, but to the whole world? Can anything be done to save it? This story, seen through the eyes of a child called Remaema, describes how the Yanomami tribe are battling against potential developers. Can a solution be found that will protect the forest and allow the tribe to continue living as they always have done, while benefiting from limited development? This picture book offers an exciting perspective on a controversial and topical subject.

Apes inhabit a weird world... dazzle your friends with mad facts and much more. The book begins with a look at all primates, and introduces the two most familiar kinds - apes and monkeys. Read on and you'll find out how they get about in trees and on the ground, as well as how they breed and raise their families. Then you'll learn about the many ways in which primates are similar to humans and how scientists are trying to learn more about them.

• Full of chatty information that children will love to read
• Colourful photographs are great for school projects
• The useful reference section includes sections on Primate Classification, Threats to Primates, as well as an Apes Glossary

Build your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right level Discover how people have mapped Australia - from songs that recorded what the landscape looked like, and early explorers' drawings, to modern maps and satellite images. Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts. Text type: An information book Curriculum links: geography, history

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right level Collins Big Cat is a guided reading series for ages 4–11 edited by Cliff Moon. Top children's authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that your children will love to read, banded to help you choose the right book for every child. Practical ideas for guided reading are included at the back of each book. Pearl/Band 18 books offer fluent readers a complex, substantial text with challenging themes to facilitate sustained comprehension, bridging the gap between a reading programme and longer chapter books. Text type: Curriculum links:

Red Kite Books' "Discovering" series offers a refreshing take on history: 32-page non-fiction books with a rhyming fictional story line along the bottom of each spread. Children learn from the informative main text and then engage with the subject through the story line, the spectacular illustrations and - in trade editions - the free flag or other component. In "Discovering Vikings", we go on a thrilling journey of discovery through history to find out who the Vikings were, where and how they lived, fought and died, and how they ventured forth on amazing voyages of exploration and colonisation, some as far as America! The rhyme at the bottom of each spread tells the story of Eadred, the Viking leader who takes his people to settle in far-off Greenland. Trade edition includes a free Viking helmet.

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right level What are codes for and who uses them? How do you make a code, how do you break a code? If you think only spies and soldiers use codes, you're wrong! Find out how codes have been used throughout history, from Ancient Egypt through to the Cold War in this enthralling non-fiction book by award-winning author, Richard Platt. Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts. Text type: A non-chronological report This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

The medieval journal of Tobias Burgess, a young page. Sent to his uncle's castle to learn to be a page, eleven-year-old Toby keeps a detailed journal of everything that happens there during the year of 1285 - from such great events as a boar hunt and a tournament to more everyday activities like baking bread and cleaning out the garderobes (toilets). The book is packed with information about medieval life and a must for any child who loves castles!

Learn about castles, knights and life in medieval times and read the exciting story of an orphan page as he fights his way to fame, fortune and marriage to the baron's daughter. This book comes with a free red and green armorial banner which kids can use in their own knightly adventures. The "Discovering" series offers a new take on history for eight-12 year-olds: the non-fiction books have a rhyming fictional story line along the bottom of each spread. Children should learn from the lively, informative and accessible main text, and then engage with the subject through the story line and the vivid illustrations produced by the famed Inklink studio in Florence.

Travel the world and look at some of the most amazing buildings - inside and out! Find out how they're built, what they do and lots more fantastic facts in this exciting and very visual book. Each building is intricately illustrated, providing lots of detail to look at and talk about. Turquoise/Band 7 books offer literary language and extended descriptions, with longer sentences and a wide range of unfamiliar terms. Text type: An information book. A collage scene on pages 22 and 23 of all the buildings from the book allows children to recall the different features of each building. Additional retrieval devices such as a glossary and index can be evaluated for their usefulness as children develop critical reading skills. Curriculum links: Design and Technology: Homes; Geography: Passport to the world. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Build your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right level In 1665, London was a dangerous place in which to live. A plague had swept across London, and a quarter of the city's population died. A year later, tragedy struck London again and the Great Fire of London destroyed two-thirds of the city. Richard Platt explores both events and how the city survived in this fascinating information book. Lime/Band 11 books have longer sentence structures and a greater use of literary language. Text type: An information book. Curriculum links: History: How do we know about the great fire of London? This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Build your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right level Get an understanding of one of the world's ancient civilisations, find out all about their way of life, intriguing rituals and bizarre sports in this fascinating account of how the Maya first established themselves over 20,000 years ago in Central America and their eventual demise. Pearl/Band 18 books offer fluent readers a complex, substantial text with challenging themes to facilitate sustained comprehension, bridging the gap between a reading programme and longer chapter books. Text type: Curriculum links:

Step inside the extraordinary world of Stephen Biesty and find out how a variety of curious things are made, from tower blocks and underground tunnels to the milk, chocolate, and doughnuts on your table, via matches, diamond rings, and sports shoes - not to mention racing cars, planes, and rockets.

The incredible artwork will have children and adults alike poring over every detail, whether it's following the production line of a factory making nails or newspapers, or exploring the insides of a Boeing 777 plane and the Saturn V rocket. Taking you through every stage of each process is Chester the Tester, a character who helps explain how things are made, along with his sidekick Hector the Inspector.

This brilliant ebook is also packed with unbelievable information. Did you know that dinosaur skeletons in museums are not real fossils? Or that the Boeing 777 has slam-proof toilet lids so the noise doesn't disturb passengers? Written with humour and fascinating facts to guide you through the intricate illustrations, this book is a glorious way to learn about the world around you.

First published 25 years ago, Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections series has been updated for the silver anniversary, bringing delight to a whole new generation of curious young readers.

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right level 1,100 years ago Baghdad was the world’s biggest and finest city. Discover this glamorous, glorious desert city – its art, literature and learning – during the Islamic Golden Age. Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view. Text type – An information book. The book is organised into short chapters to help children practise the skills of locating and identifying important information. The glossary and index can be used to develop children's information retrieval skills further. Curriculum links – History

Written by award-winning author Richard Platt, How They Made Things Work: Age of Industry examines aspects of technology in Victorian times, including ship-building, weapons, motion pictures, photography, railways and telegraphy. Suitable for Key Stages 2-3, How They Made Things Work looks at how people in history advanced their societies by pushing the boundaries of technology.

Collins Arabic Big Cat is a guided reading series for ages 3 to 11. The series is structured with reference to the learning progression of Arabic at nursery and primary schools researched especially for Collins. This carefully graded approach allows children to build up their reading knowledge of Arabic step by step. Level 12 books feature greater use of literary language and more unusual and challenging vocabulary. Play scripts also feature from Level 12. Non-fiction titles contain longer, more formal sentences and a wide range of unfamiliar terms. Sentences become longer with greater use of conjunctions and relative clauses. Grammatical vowel endings are more evident to encourage fluent reading and to provide familiarity with some higher-level features of written Arabic. Travel the world and look at some of the most amazing buildings - inside and out! Find out how they're built, what they do and lots more fantastic facts in this exciting and very visual book. Each building is intricately illustrated, providing lots of detail to look at and talk about. Pages 22 and 23 show the buildings divided up by their purpose - store, make or protect - promoting plenty of discussion and reasoning. Additional retrieval devices such as a glossary and index can be evaluated for their usefulness as children develop critical reading skills.

"Discovering Pirates" is an authoritative book about pirates for 7-11 year olds. It focuses on the golden age of piracy when notorious figures such as Blackbeard and Captain Kidd plundered treasure ships in the Spanish Main.In 13 superbly illustrated sections, the book looks at all aspects of piracy, from who the pirates were and what they did, to their ships and weapons, their lore and language, their way of life, the way they shared and spent their booty, how they treated their hapless victims (by making them walk the plank for example), and the fate that awaited them if they were unlucky enough to be captured by the Royal Navy.Red Kite Books' "Discovering" series has two special features setting it apart from the competition: a story told in verse running along the bottom of each spread and a fantastic free gift tucked in the back in a poly bag. In "Discovering Pirates", the free gift is a black and white skull and crossbones flag measuring 470 mm X 350 mm.

An entertaining and comprehensive telling of diseases, infections, plagues and pandemics for young readers. The Germ Lab features case histories of specific epidemics and pandemics, including coronavirus (COVID-19), 'eyewitness' accounts from the rats, flies, ticks and creepy-crawlies who spread the most deadly viruses, plus plenty of fascinating facts and figures on the biggest and worst afflictions. Discover how bacteria and bad beasties are beaten through the work of genius scientists and the development of vaccinations. Illustrated throughout with brilliantly humorous artworks and fun characters, you'll be entertained by a cabinet war room showing the war on germs, a rogues' gallery highlighting the worst offenders, the very deadliest diseases examined under the microscope, and much more.

Cities all over the world have an underground network of trains running right beneath our feet, helping the public to travel around quickly and safely. But how did these underground networks begin, and how were they built? Find out the fascinating history of underground trains in this non-fiction book by Richard Platt. Collins Big Cat Progress books are specifically designed for children at Key Stage 2 who have a Key Stage 1 reading level, giving them age-appropriate texts that they can read, building their confidence and fostering positive attitudes towards reading. Text type: A non-fiction book Curriculum links: History; Geography This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

"Not many, if any, children's books on the Middle Ages and castles contain the wealth of information found in this fresh, appealing offering." - SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)

What was it really like to live in a castle? Step back to the Middle Ages with CASTLE DIARY: THE JOURNAL OF TOBIAS BURGESS. Eleven-year-old Toby's vivid diary entries offer an insider's view of day-to-day castle life, including tips on etiquette (where do you spit at a feast?) and exciting descriptions of hunting, jousting, and harvesting. Complete with glossary, index, and detailed endnotes, this is a rich look at medieval life that informs as much as it entertains.

Written by award-winning author Richard Platt, How They Made Things Work: Romans examines aspects of technology in ancient Rome, including concrete, road building, weapons, domes and arches.

Suitable for Key Stages 2-3, How They Made Things Work looks at how people in history advanced their societies by pushing the boundaries of technology.

Before the coming of the white man, the rifle-toting, bareback-riding 'red indians' of countless Hollywood westerns were just one of many native peoples in North America. In this expertly-written account, vetted by a Smithsonian Institution expert, Richard Platt takes kids on an enthralling journey through the diverse native cultures of North America. The story line features young brave Fearless Wolf, an outsider who grows to manhood as he leads resistance to the advance of white settlers. Trade edition includes a free Indian headdress. Red Kite Books' "Discovering" series offers a refreshing take on history: 32-page non-fiction books with a rhyming fictional story line along the bottom of each spread. Children learn from the informative main text, and then engage with the subject through the story line, the spectacular illustrations and - in trade editions - the free flag or other component. Its features: award-winning author; spectacular colour illustrations; free Indian headdress (trade ed only); rhyming story line on each page; text and illustrations checked by Smithsonian Institution expert.

Relive the drama of the Roman Empire through the eyes of a young Greek slave in this latest installment in an acclaimed historical series.
Iliona never imagined that her sea voyage from Greece to Egypt would lead her to Rome. But when her ship is boarded by pirates, that's where she ends up -- as a slave. Separated from her brother, Apollo, Iliona is soon at the whim of her owners, and the chance of regaining freedom seems like a distant dream. But unlike her brother's plight, Iliona's life as a slave isn't as bad as she feared: her new family provides clothing, food, and even schooling, and best of all, she is free to explore the wonders of Rome. Step back to AD 107 and take in the luxury of the baths, the splendor of the Senate, the thrill of gladiatorial combat, and the excesses of Roman feasts in a fictional diary full of excitement, humor, and accurate historical detail.