Books in Cool Kids series

Want to know more about the buildings around you? Can’t tell a Doric from a Corinthian column? Interested in how the Egyptians built the pyramids, and how on earth a dome stays up? Then this book is for you. Packed with absorbing facts and quirky illustrations, Cool Architecture tells you everything you need to know about architecture around the world, from the simple dwellings created by the earliest humans to today’s most innovative buildings, via forbidding medieval strongholds, great 18th-Century palaces and the classic Art Deco skyscrapers of New York.Learn about the great architectural movements and the personalities that created them, and explore the most iconic buildings in the world, from the Parthenon in Greece to the (current) world’s tallest skyscraper, the Khalifa Tower in Dubai. This book is a perfect introduction to what’s cool about the fascinating world of architecture.

A fun, accessible guide to computers and coding for older children and curious adults.This fun and quirky book provides a fascinating introduction to the world of computer coding, organized into handy bite-sized chunks. Coding, now firmly part of the National Curriculum, is a huge subject and can seem slightly impenetrable, especially to parents, and that’s where this book comes in. Cool Coding contains everything you need to know about computers and coding, from the very basics of binary code and how it works, to the myriad things that coding can actually do, to the brave new worlds of artificial intelligence, robots and cloud computing. It introduces the most popular coding programmes taught in schools, Scratch and Python, and shows how coding can be used to create websites, games and apps, and make robots and moving vehicles, with the help of nifty devices such as the Raspberry Pi. And if you’ve ever wondered what spaghetti code, duck typing, snakecase or The Internet of Things are, you’ll find the answers here.Packed with playful illustrations and inspiring information on the amazing world of coding and computing, this book is the perfect introduction to this most essential of subjects.

Inside this mega-jam-packed book are fifty fact-tastic ways to advance and improve your astronomy skills so you’ll never feel alone in the universe again!Learn amazing space-related tricks such as how to watch a solar eclipse safely and mapping stars from your own back garden, right down to expertly simplifying the supermassive numbers and distances involved in the space between space so you’ll never forget them. With Cool Astronomy, you’ll discover everything you need to know about the universe, from asteroids to the zenith point … and almost everything in between!

An amazing guide to the wonders of physics, handily broken down into accessible bite-sized chunks.Cool Physics is a playful, enjoyable guide to the world of physics, from Archimedes saying ‘Eureka!’ (probably not in the bath) to the Higgs Boson. Aimed at older children and curious adults, it covers everything you need to know about some of the most complex scientific ideas the world has ever seen, made accessible and fun – Newton’s Theory of Relativity, quantum physics, nuclear fission and fusion, quarks, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and that old favourite E=mc2 are all explained here, clearly and entertainingly. There are also 10 practical experiments to give you even more insight into the theories, including making a pinhole camera, a whirlpool in a bottle and electric circuits with Play-Doh.Packed with quirky illustrations and fascinating factual titbits, this book is both an incredibly useful companion to school studies and an absorbing read in its own right.

INTERNATIONAL LATINO BOOK AWARD SECOND PLACE FOR BOOK WRITTEN BY A YOUTHPARENTS' CHOICE APPROVED AWARDFor kids who want to cook—Louisiana style! Kid Chef Eliana keeps the good times rolling in this kid-friendly cookbook of Louisiana cuisine. With nearly thirty exciting recipes from meat pies to boudin balls to Mardi Gras king cake, Eliana undertakes a culinary journey exploring unique gastronomic traditions from all regions of the state. With Eliana's help, your delicious dishes are sure to satisfy the taste buds of all ages!

Did you know that fish can use tools, and that wombat poo is cubic? This animal-tastic, fact-packed guide to the world of nature contains everything the budding naturalist needs to know. Meet nature’s most fearsome predators, explore the wonders of the ocean, and marvel at the ability of animals to survive in the harshest environments.If you want to get out into the wild yourself, there’s cool practical advice for tracking animals through the woods, using binoculars to spot our feathered friends and making a bird feeder in your back yard. Learn about why we should all care about endangered species, who would win in a fight between a shark and a honey badger, and how to make flowers bloom in the most unlikely places.Packed with quirky illustrations and absorbing information, this book is the perfect gift for the nature obsessive in your life.

Inside this philosophy-stuffed book are fifty fact-tastic ways to advance your thinking skills, so you’ll never be scratching your head in bemusement ever again.Featuring the key philosophic principles of every philosopher you've heard of (and some you haven't), from prominent ancient Greek thinkers such as Aristotle and Socrates to modern-day thinkers such as Bertrand Russell and Thomas Kuhn, Cool Philosophy is stuffed to the gills with amazing facts, tricks and stats to help you discover everything you need to know about what philosophy is – in a way you’ll never forget.

This fun book, part of the popular Cool series, is a fascinating introduction to world mythology, broken up into handy bite-sized chunks. It covers all the main world mythologies, including Sumerian, Incan, African, Native American, African, Egyptian, Persian, Hindu, Norse and, of course, Greek and Roman, including the famous Olympians (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon and others). It begins with a selection of creation myths from different cultures (for example the Dreamtime of Aboriginal Australian mythology) and delves into individual stories from mythology, such as Perseus meeting Medusa and Pandora’s box. It covers fantastical mythological creatures from the fearsome Manticore from Persian legend to the modern-day Yeti, plus giants, dragons and the Phoenix. It explores mythological places like Atlantis and various versions of the afterlife, from the idyllic Arthurian Avalon to the rather less pleasant Yomi, the dark and gloomy underworld of Japanese mythology.Ancient myths are still relevant to today’s society, explaining traditions and giving lasting moral lessons. But most of all, they’re entertaining adventures that connect us to the past – and this book is the perfect introduction to how cool mythology really is.

Welcome to Cool Art! This fact-tastic book is packed with reasons why art is cooler than you'd ever imagine. Learn why the Mona Lisa has no eyebrows, which artist liked to throw artichokes around, and how to paint like Monet.Discover exactly how strange the Surrealists were, how Duchamp made art out of plumbing, and how art can truly change your life.From Caravaggio to Banksy, the Renaissance to Minimalism, explore the ideas, meaning and techniques behind the world’s masterpieces, with a hefty dose of fun along the way. Much more than a basic history of art, this fascinating book will teach you how colour works, how to have a profound experience in an art gallery, and where to see the best art in the world.Packed with intriguing and playful images, Cool Art is the ideal gift for all ages - not only will it engage young people in creative ideas, it will provide a feast of useful facts for adults to impress their friends with at dinner parties.