Tea, Tales, and Tomes

Between Stories and Science: Where Nonfiction Becomes Art

• Natasha • Season 1 • Episode 10

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In today's episode, I delve into the world of children's nonfiction where science meets art, sharing remarkable books that transform factual information into awe-inspiring adventures for young readers.

• Books by Jason Chin like "Your Place in the Universe" and "The Universe in You" offering breathtaking illustrations that compare cosmic scale to a child's perspective
• Immersive adventure books like "How Does Chocolate Taste on Everest?" that engage all five senses to explore extreme environments
• Interactive learning with "The Treasure Hunt" featuring puzzles, codes and maps that make history come alive
• Car science books that make mechanical concepts accessible through engaging illustrations and storytelling
• Humorous books about animal anatomy that capture children's attention while teaching evolutionary science
• "Spooky Lakes" exploring mysterious bodies of water around the world with jaw-dropping scientific facts
• "Size Wise" presenting animals and natural elements in their actual size for a tangible learning experience

And the best part, my tried and tested tips for choosing high-quality nonfiction that engages rather than bores young readers (and their bookwormy adults). 

Visit the blog post for this episode for the full list of titles mentioned here and drop us a rec of your favourite non-fiction.



Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder.

Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill.

Natasha:

Hello bookish friends, this is Natasha and you're listening to Tea Tales and Tomes where we are living our favorite lives talking books and drinking hot beverages. So grab your cuppa and let's talk books. Today's episode is part two of our deep dive into the factual, fascinating and fun world of nonfiction books. In part one, I told you about my reluctant journey into this world of nonfiction, all because my youngest book dragon is on a facts over fiction literary escapade. Wow, that was a bit of a mouthful Truth be told. It has actually been a lovely journey for me, because being a reader isn't just about escaping, but also about learning and understanding. In part one that was episode nine I went on to give you some of my favorite non-fiction recommendations for all ages, largely looking at books that form part of a series while still being able to be read as a standalone, and that covers a huge range of topics within the series, so that you can find something within your and your child's wheelhouse. Today, as we sip our hot tea or coffee, if you need something a little stronger, we are going to places between the covers where non-fiction becomes art and where the non-fiction journey is done in ways that are surprisingly unique. Stick around and you will see exactly what I mean. I'm also going to give you tried and tested tips to sifting out the twaddle from the gems when you are on your own non-fiction journey for your shelves.

Natasha:

Before we get into it, I want to share this quote from my favorite scientist, that's Richard Feynman, which is so pertinent to today's science meets art episode. It's actually one of my favorite quotes about science of all time. So Feynman wrote in his book titled the Pleasure of Finding Things Out about a conversation he had with one of his friends who happened to be an artist. And the artist said look how beautiful this flower is. And then added I as an artist can see how beautiful it is, but you as a scientist take it all apart and make it really dull. Feynman thought that that was kind of nutty and he replied I can appreciate the beauty of a flower too, but I can also see more. I can appreciate the beauty of a flower too, but I can also see more. I imagine the cells inside, the processes at work, how the colors evolve to attract insects. There's beauty in the smaller dimensions, the inner structure and in the way that everything connects. Science doesn't subtract from the beauty, it only adds to it, it only adds. And that, bookish friends, is what great nonfiction for children can do. It doesn't take away from the magic and art that is the natural world. It helps kids and their adults see more magic, whether it is hidden in the layers of a flower, the story behind a fossil or the way stars are born. Children's nonfiction can turn every question into a doorway to wonder.

Natasha:

In all the books I mentioned today, learning is happening through visual masterpieces that not only make for great coffee table books because of their sheer artistic value, but also that expand our understanding of the world around us in often poetic and always enjoyable ways. So let's go For the reluctant nonfiction explorer hi, that's me. Do yourself a favor and grab any and I mean any of Jason Chen's stunning books. Jason Chen is an author and an artist that combines elegant illustrations with deep scientific inquiry and presents enormous concepts I mean enormous concepts like the scale of the universe or the complexity inside a single living cell, in ways that are both poetic and accessible.

Natasha:

One title, your Place in the Universe, is a family favorite. This book looks comparatively at the size of the biggest things in the world and in fact the universe, and compares this, as the book begins to the height of an average eight-year-old child. It starts by comparing this average eight-year-old to the book itself. Five hard copies of these books make up the height of the child from edge to edge and from here compares this to the tallest animal. Five hard copies of these books make up the height of the child from edge to edge and from here compares this to the tallest animal, to the tallest living thing trees, specifically the giant sequoia, then the tallest buildings, the tallest mountains, the distance to the moon, the sun, galaxy clusters and, ultimately, the universe. It all comes back to the eight-year-old child and this child's place in the vastness of space. What a breathtakingly beautiful way to be humbled by our insignificance, but also awestruck by the knowledge that we actually exist.

Natasha:

Now the flip side of this book, titled the Universe in you, also by Jason Chin, is similarly going to blow you away, as you might guess again, starting with a young child and then comparing this child to the smallest bird, smallest insects, skin cells, bacteria, dna, atoms and subatomic particles that we humans and everything in this universe is also made up of. My kids adored the idea that we are made up of the same stuff that was created at the time of the Big Bang, the same stuff of stars. So whether you're religious or not, scientifically inclined or not, you cannot help but be astounded at this grandeur of life through Chin's drawings and words. These are the kinds of books you leave on the coffee table because both adults and kids will pick them up again and again. So Jason Chin does have a few other titles which I haven't been able to get my book greedy pause on. Specifically, I'm really looking forward to reading Redwood, which is Jason Chin's take on the giant sequoias.

Natasha:

Visiting these marvels in California has been my ultimate bucket list adventure for as long as I can remember. And that's just the magic of books and reading. Am I right? If you can't physically go on adventures for whatever reason finances, health, the times not wanting to visit countries with presidents like Donald Trump the best option is to take those same adventures through the pages of books. And on the subject of adventure, grab your backpack and hiking boots for the next two non-fiction wrecks.

Natasha:

These next few books are part of a new wave of non-fiction, one that is immersive, interactive and just plain thrilling. So in the first one, how Does Chocolate Taste? On Everest, by Liza Stewart Sharp, kids are invited to imagine themselves in some of Earth's most extreme environments the hottest, the darkest, the most magical, the highest, the deepest, most secret, the stinkiest and the coldest, etc. And use their five senses touch, taste, sight, sound, smell to explore what it would really feel like if we were there in person. Doesn't that sound so cool? It's non-fiction as an experience. By allowing readers to step into the shoes of intrepid explorers how Does Chocolate Taste in Everest? Ignites our sense of adventure and wonder. We love this book's interactive nature, making it an ideal choice for parents, teachers or just about anyone looking to engage children in an exciting learning experience.

Natasha:

There are also really cute components that the author has added, like the kids in the books writing letters home to their parents. This was really cool because if my kids are intrepid explorers one day and traveling the world, I would like for them to write letters back to me. And there's also fun information boxes about actual real life explorers that have visited the places that are mentioned in the book. Likewise, the Treasure Hunt by the same author combines storytelling with fascinating fact-finding. It's the kind of book you feel like you are living in. So the Treasure Hunt explores the history of some of the world's most famous treasures, like where is Queen Nefertiti's mummy or what became of the Titanic's treasures, like when is Queen Nefertiti's Mummy or what Became of the Titanic's Treasures. The best part is that this book is filled with actual puzzles and codes and maps that encourage the reader to think critically, to solve the challenges as they progress. So it's almost like a do-it-yourself book, but it's full of this amazing adventure, a little bit of Sherlock Holmes mystery code-breaking, a little bit of Sherlock Holmes mystery code-breaking. You know readers will be traveling through the pages of this book and visiting Egypt and Norway, colombia and Madagascar, and it offers them this amazing chance to learn about different cultures and histories while engaging completely with these treasure hunts. It is a fully immersive read. The author has a few other titles in a similar adventurous vein, but, as you know, here at Tea Tales and Tomes, I will only recommend books that I have read and loved and that my kids have also read and loved. So but if you have sampled any of her other titles, please let me know whether they're as good as these two.

Natasha:

Let's move on now to my least favorite nonfiction topic Do you have a child that's obsessed with cars? I have two. I always think that they're going to grow out of it, but that has just not happened. Even when they have other interests, like dinosaurs or space or cheese, somehow all the imaginary play turns into play that looks like cars driving on a racetrack. I don't know the mechanics behind that, but it happens. So, after going through a bunch of very below average books about cars and speed and car mechanics, I found the perfect book that is engaging for both kids and adults seeking a very basic understanding about cars and their mechanics. It's called Car Science and it's by Richard Hammond, and it delves into topics like horsepower, the physics of motion it actually mentions Newton's laws, the types of fuel, what makes cars go fast and so on and all explained through vibrant illustrations and simple language. Yes, you did hear me correctly. I did say Richard Hammond, he of the Top Gear fame, so you know he knows his stuff.

Natasha:

It's not a book that you're going to read in one sitting. I've read it over the course of a week, for example, and to be honest with you very honest I usually will cringe if my kids ask me for it, which they do very often, because Cars is just not my thing. But if I'm going to read non-fiction about Cars, this is the one that I'm going to turn to. There is another one it's called Speedbirds by Alan Snow, which I was debating whether or not I should actually mention it in the episode because it's more narrative nonfiction. But with this tale it's a tale of crows trying to go faster than the fastest bird on earth, the peregrine falcon, and kids and adults learn all about the mechanics of assembling a car, a race car, including the intricate details of how an engine works, with gorgeous illustrations and really accessible text. Bookish friends, my husband is a mechanical engineer and despite this, my brain has done its level best not to remember anything about car mechanics. But after reading Speed Buds I can very confidently tell you why a V8 engine is called that and how it works, and I can tell you the ins and outs of making cars go faster. So this is a pretty good book. I'm going to move on from cars.

Natasha:

Let's go on to a topic that is a strange one. You can skip this part if gross things is not for you. So if you have young and particularly reluctant readers, have you tried reading them? Books about butts and poo. Maybe this is just a thing in my slightly kooky home, but books about butts and poo never fail to impress my young book monsters. Seriously, they are three that really stand out to me for their general awesomeness mixed with humor and super wacky science.

Natasha:

And these are Funny Bums and Freaky Beaks by Alex Moores, which features all sorts of weird, freaky, incredible animals with explanations for why certain strange parts on their anatomy actually work perfect for them, like tigers with retractable hooks on their tongues and why that is. And the colorful butts of some apes. The illustrations in the books are also pretty cool. Another one is called the Natural History of Bums by the Crab Museum, and it's a pretty strange take on the evolution of species in which, like it says on the blurb on Goodreads, you will come butt to butt with big butts, small butts, armored butts, stinky butts, multi-use butts, dino butts, jet engine butts, glow-in-the-dark butts, fossilized butts and even an animal with 1,000 butts. That sounds pretty cool, but it's so much more than just butt and fart facts, bookish friends. It's a whole learning experience through humor and lightness that is sure to get you appreciating the incredible natural world and its slightly nutty butty mysteries.

Natasha:

Lastly, my last butt recommendation Butt or Face by Carrie Lavelle uses a cheeky haha see what I did there guessing format. The book shows an image of a part of an animal and you need to guess whether it is the animal's butt or the animal's face. It's more for littler kids, but it is still filled with fascinating facts about the animal kingdom. And, my favorite, all of the words for one's derriere, like butt, tush, posterior, bottom, butt you name it is used. But moving on from the bottoms and onto my last three non-fiction recommendations for today, I think I've saved the best for last. Actually, for today, I think I've saved the best for last.

Natasha:

Actually, these three are tales that have left me and my kids feeling a sense of utmost wonder and jaw-dropping awe. They're called Spooky Lakes by Gio Rutherford, the Humans by Johnny Marks and Sizewise by Camilla de la Bedoya. You know what? Don't even carry on listening to this pod. Just go out right now, right now, and find yourself a copy of Spooky Lakes. Seriously, go.

Natasha:

So Spooky Lakes by Joe Rutherford delves into the eerie and enigmatic world of lakes. Think environmental science meets X-Files, without the supernatural component. So this book is for anyone interested in the wonderful intersection of nature, science, art and storytelling. Kids, even the most sensitive of readers, are fascinated for some reason by the unknown and the slightly spooky. So you, the adult on this adventure is going to go on a ride of a lifetime. You're going to go to Lake Natron in Tanzania, a lake with such high alkalinity that the water can mummify animals, preserving them in strange forms. You're going to take a dive through Lake Shagun in Kazakhstan, a lake created during the nuclear testing that was done in that country and has radioactive water. So, being in Durban and in South Africa, I have yet to get my hands on a copy of this book and on a hard copy of this book, and I've had to read it in e-format. But apparently the actual book is huge and the size is actually part of the awe of reading it, because it really brings all these lakes to life. Also, gia Rutherford, I believe, has a channel either on YouTube or on TikTok where she goes into the science of these lakes, and this book actually came out of that series that she's been doing on the socials.

Natasha:

Another excellent non-fiction is called the Humans by Johnny Marks, and it is unlike any book you will find about human civilizations through history, because so much of what is available today has a very typical Eurocentric and Western view. So this book does not. It looks at all civilization, from the Nubians to the Native Americans, the Acadians to the Aztecs, and showcases their pioneering inventions, technology and cultural practices of these ancient peoples. So I have loved the illustrations, the inclusivity and the level of detail in this book, which makes it actually perfect for all ages.

Natasha:

Lastly, size Wise is one of those books that is sure to entrance you and your young readers. So, like the title says, this book looks at the sizes of some of nature's wonders big animals, diatoms, seeds, you name it. But here's the thing that makes this book truly amazing Everything in the book is presented in its actual size. How Well, if it's the colossal squid being discussed, the size of the animal is stated in centimeters or inches, as well as how it compares to other more known measured things, so that you can get a sense for its size. But there will also be some part of the animal illustrated on the page in its exact size. So for the colossal squid, it's the suction cups on the tentacles. But other features like eyes, wings, tentacles, sand, snowflakes, flowers and much more are all illustrated in real life size or zoomed in for extra interest in this book. It makes for a truly eye-popping read.

Natasha:

Bookish friends, this brings me to the end of the recommendations. Part of this episode. What I featured here has been what I have read, what I have genuinely loved and what my kids have also truly enjoyed enough to come back to again and again. On my own non-fiction journey, I've found some real twaddle Books that actually leave me questioning the entire publishing process. I kid you not. Books published as a bunch of academic texts and facts, with some poorly laid out pics or pixelated pics or worse, so many books that are just plain gimmicky All the bells and whistles and none of the substance. Books that you will read once and that will gather dust thereafter without leaving any impression. So go grab yourself another cup of tea or coffee and then come back for my top tips and main takeaways to help you choose great non-fiction books. Welcome back, bookish friends.

Natasha:

So here's my top tips for choosing first-rate non-fiction and sifting out the terrible from the terrific. Number one not all non-fiction is dry. Look for story and immersion. Modern nonfiction has evolved, bookish friends. Many books now include narrative storytelling elements, immersive experiences, humor and interesting formats. So my top tip seek out books that are visually dynamic and written with voice. They'll feel more like an adventure than a boring textbook and written with voice, they'll feel more like an adventure than a boring textbook.

Natasha:

Number two match book type to reading style and developmental stage. Different kids need different formats. That's just a fact. Toddlers and preschoolers you need simple, concept-based books, like the Baby Love Science Works, Early primary school and early elementary kids. Visual heavy books with bite-sized facts, like the Nat Geo books that I mentioned in episode 9. Middle grade readers will love Q&A formats, graphic non-fiction or interactive narratives, and your tweens and teens will thank you for richly illustrated scientific books as well as issue-based narrative non-fiction that meets kids where they are at. So my top tip here is if your child struggles with dense text, look for visual formats like infographics, diagrams or comics or even interactive elements that will make them feel like they're part of the adventure.

Natasha:

Number three read nonfiction aloud and create full experiences, even if it's not your thing. So, even if nonfiction feels dry to you, your enthusiasm can model engagements, or let your child take the lead and read it to you. Make them feel as if they're teaching you a thing or two. Let the book be a conversation starter. My top tip here make core memories. So after reading a particular book, particular nonfiction book, get onto Google or YouTube or National Geographic, and learn more together about the subject matter. How about take it even further visit a museum or a place that's mentioned in the book, if this is possible. Your enthusiasm will fuel their thirst for knowledge, and all this means is that they are taking in the information and retaining it wonderfully.

Natasha:

Number four look for books that blend science with beauty. So take a page out of Richard Feynman and look for books that show how science can help us to really appreciate the wonder of the world. Books like your Place in the Universe show that non-fiction can be both intellectually and emotionally powerful. These are also great family reading and they stretch the idea of what non-fiction can be. So my top tip add at least one coffee table quality non-fiction book to your collection, the kind everyone would want to pick up.

Natasha:

Number five let non-fiction be fun, not just educational. Kids will learn naturally when they're entertained and intrigued. Animal Battles brings WWE-style excitement to science. That's valid reading. Joy is a gateway to learning. It always has been, so my top tip here look for fun facts, interactive elements or dramatic framing like what-if questions or head-to-head animal match-ups. And lastly this one is very much for me Follow your child's curiosity, not your own preferences. It's okay if non-fiction isn't your favorite. Kids are naturally curious, and if they're drawn to animal facts, space or how chocolate tastes on Everest, that's the book you pick. Even if it's not your idea of fun, their interests will lead to deeper engagement.

Natasha:

My top tip Pay attention to what your child pulls off the shelf when no one's watching. And that's a top tip for me. So there you have it, bookish friends a two-part episode offering a full menu of factful treasures, from board books to breathtaking science journeys and even a trip into the history of butts. So nonfiction might not be where I naturally gravitate, but watching Jazz find joy, discovery and connection through these books, that's been a powerful reminder. Nonfiction isn't just facts, it's wonder, it's possibility, it's learning how the world works and sometimes it's learning how we work too. Until next time, keep sipping your tea, keep turning those pages and remember even the truest tales can be the most magical. Thank you for talking books with me and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder.

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Natasha

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Timothy Wiggill

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