Books in Discovering Big Ideas series

Who built the first houses? What’s the difference between an arch and an architrave? How does a dome stay up? Who invented concrete? Can you build a house from paper? If you want to know more about the buildings around you, this entertaining illustrated guide is a perfect introduction to architecture around the world. From the mud huts of ancient history to today’s towering edifices, you can explore iconic buildings and find out more about the people who created them. You’ll also discover the development of different building materials, from mud and straw to paper, steel and reinforced concrete.

Creating and harnessing energy is a fundamental part of enabling life to exist and thrive on earth. Energy comes in a vast array of different forms - using our muscles and those of other creatures, enabling us to move, lift etc, creating heat and steam through fire, capturing the power of the wind in a ship’s sails or to turn the blades of a wind turbine, harnessing the power of moving water to generate electricity in a hydroelectric power station, applying the forces of magnetism to turn an electric motor, using solar panels to transfer the sun’s energy into electricity for our homes - all of these and more are explained in Understanding Energy.This exciting new book from award-winning illustrator Eduard Altarriba introduces children aged 8-12 to this fascinating world in a fun and absorbing way. The book explains many of the different principals of energy production with the use of beautiful, dynamic illustrations.

Sit back and enjoy a cosmic tour of our awe-inspiring solar system with this illuminating illustrated guide. Aimed at children aged 8+, this exciting book makes learning a complex subject fun and accessible. Gaze at the beauty of our planets, Sun and Moon and learn fascinating facts about them, discover dwarf planets, comets and asteroids, find out how our solar system came into existence, and study the history and future of space exploration. With insightful, bite-sized facts to devour and fabulous illustrations to marvel at, budding astronomers will be inspired and instilled with a sense of wonder at the diversity of our incredible solar system.