Wider Reading
Key Stage 3 Recommended Reading
Kay's Anatomy: A Complete (and Completely Disgusting) Guide to the Human Body by Adam Kay
Do you ever think about your body and how it all works? Like really properly think about it? The human body is extraordinary and fascinating and, well . . . pretty weird. Yours is weird, mine is weird, your maths teacher's is even weirder. This book is going to tell you what's actually going on in there, and answer the really important questions, like: Are bogeys safe to eat? Look, if your nose is going to all that effort of creating a snack, the least we can do is check out its nutritional value. (Yes, they're safe. Chew away! And how much of your life will you spend on the toilet? About a year - so bring a good book. (I recommend this one.)
Kay's Marvellous Medicine: A gross and gruesome history of the human body by Adam Kay
The brand-new, hilarious book from bestselling, record-breaking author Adam Kay. If you're sure you're ready, then pop a peg on your nose (there was a lot of stinky pus back then), pull on your wellies (there was a lot of poo there too), wash your hands (because they certainly didn't) and explore this gross and gruesome history of the human body!
On the Origin of Species by Sabrina Radeva
Pulling together Darwin's observations from his travels around the world and his ground-breaking explanation of how species form, develop, and change over hundreds of thousands of years, On The Origin of Species is as relevant and important now as it ever was. Molecular biologist and illustrator Sabina Radeva has recreated Darwin's most famous work as a beautifully illustrated book for children and adults alike. The stunning pictures bring the theory of evolution to life for young readers, and anyone who wants to learn about evolution.
Key Stage 4 Recommended Reads
Life Changing: How Humans are Altering Life on Earth by Helen Pilcher
In Life Changing, Helen introduces us to these post-natural creations and talks to the scientists who create, study and tend to them. At a time when the future of so many species is uncertain, we meet some of the conservationists seeking to steer evolution onto firmer footings with novel methods like the 'spermcopter', coral IVF and plans to release wild elephants into Denmark. Helen explores the changing relationship between humans and the natural world, and reveals how, with evidence-based thinking, humans can help life change for the better.
A Perfect Planet by Huw Cordey
Focusing on four key natural forces - global weather systems distributing fresh water to all corners; marine currents delivering nutrients to the deepest reaches of the ocean; solar energy warming and electrifying everything it touches; and volcanic activity fertilising the earth's surface - Huw Cordey reveals to us new levels of this living world, a place populated with astonishing characters living remarkable lives. From Arctic wolves prowling moonlit landscapes or wood frogs, frozen in winter and magically thawing back to life, to flamingos flying thousands of miles to a vast volcanic lake in Africa to breed, we see time and again how animals are perfectly adapted to whatever the environment throws at them.
The Body: A guide for occupants by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson sets off to explore the human body, how it functions and its remarkable ability to heal itself. Full of extraordinary facts and astonishing stories The Body: A Guide for Occupants is a brilliant, often very funny attempt to understand the miracle of our physical and neurological make up.