Mary Richards

Splat! traces art history through its key turning points and helps to map important art movements from the Renaissance and Impressionism to Surrealism and contemporary art. At the beginning, a spread explores how early peoples represented animals and everyday life. Then brief sections explore the stories of particular artists who helped to make important artistic innovations, including Michelangelo and the High Renaissance; Bruegel and his paintings of everyday peasant life; Manet and the shock of Impressionism; and Duchamp and the Dada revolution. You can read the real-life stories of artists, such as Caravaggio, Jan Vermeer, Henri Rousseau, Vincent Van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky and Frida Kahlo, who dared to imagine new ways of depicting the world. The achievements of these artists and the challenges, difficulties and dangers they faced are excitingly brought to life.

Make every museum trip a new adventure! Here is the first in an exciting new series of guided journals for children aged 7–12. Take Me To Museums is the first book in an exciting new series of guided journals for young explorers. With its stylish design, zingy illustrations and handy size to pop in a bag, it’s a must-have accompaniment to every museum or gallery visit. The book is divided into five ‘adventure’ chapters. Every time children take a trip to a museum, a new adventure begins. On their journey around the gallery spaces they are encouraged to explore their surroundings, record their thoughts and draw what they see. Each chapter is unique – and so on every visit they will discover something different. No part of the museum is ignored – the buildings, cafe, shop and people- watching are all an equal part of the experience. Packed with facts about museums all over the world, the book also includes a timeline of museum history and a glossary of useful words. To wrap it all up there’s a section for making notes and a summary page for comparing the five adventures.

Holidays will never be the same again! Here is the second book in an exciting new series of guided journals for young children aged 7-12 Take Me On Holiday is the second book in an exciting new series of guided journals for young explorers. With its stylish design, zingy illustrations and handy size to pop in a bag, it’s essential packing for any creative child’s suitcase – whether they’re going to a relative’s house for the weekend or taking a trip to a far-flung corner of the world. This innovative, interactive book is divided into five ‘adventure’ chapters. Children start a new adventure at the beginning of each holiday. Within each chapter, there’s space for them to plan and research their trip, document the journey and record memorable days out. As they complete lists, draw pictures and answer questions they’ll discover more about the places they’re visiting – and learn a little more about themselves, too. Quirky, easy to navigate and brimming with interesting holiday facts, this book is a must-have for any trip – don’t leave home without it!

Take Me Home is the latest book in an exciting series of guided journals for young explorers. Crammed with facts, lively illustrations and inspiring activities, it's perfect for spending creative time at home – just the thing for completing after school or on a rainy day. With this book as your guide, you don't even need to go out of your own front door to discover new things! Each chapter of Take Me Home is filled with activities that encourage children to explore the place where they live, jot down their ideas and draw what they see. As they complete lists, create pictures and answer questions they are prompted to look at their own home in new ways – observing its different spaces and the objects that fill it. Fun, quirky and bursting with information about homes throughout history; architecture and design; the way things work; and the artists and writers who have been inspired by the idea of home, this book is a perfect gift for curious and creative children. Take Me Home follows the popular format of Take Me To Museums, Take Me On Holiday, Take Me To School and Take Me Outdoors.

Following on from the success of the award-winning A History of Pictures for Children comes this introduction to the history of music that takes children on a musical journey around the world. Readers will meet along the way a diverse cast of composers, musicians and performers who all make music in different ways in a variety of different genres, from Bach to Billie Eilish, Mozart to Miriam Makeba. Why do we make music? Which instruments make up a classical orchestra? How does music affect our brains and emotions? These are just some of the fascinating questions addressed in this book, which looks at music's transnational and boundary-breaking qualities. All over the world and throughout time, music has been recorded and passed down through different oral traditions and forms of notation. It has always been a powerful catalyst for influencing change and connecting people. And what might the future of music hold? Exploring the technology we use to listen to and create music, the authors imagine new possibilities such as computer-generated compositions and robot musicians.

A history of the world told through the prism of language, from Shakespeare to Anne Frank, Martin Luther King to Greta Thunberg. A History of Words for Children explores the uniquely human ability to transfer thoughts from one brain to another using words. Written in a lively narrative style, the book presents a history of the world and human development through the prism of language, introducing readers to the civilisations, inventions and wordsmiths who have shaped the way we communicate. Divided into themed chapters, the book explores what words are and how humans communicate using spoken language and sign; the development of written scripts and writing implements, including paper; the history of manuscripts and printed books, including worldwide bestsellers and famous libraries; the process of learning another language; dialects and accents and the way language can reflect our identity; the power of words to calm, inspire, rally crowds and rule nations; graffiti's role in spreading messages; codes and invented languages; the patterns of poetry; the future of words, including emojis; and languages facing extinction.