GulfWeeklyBookClub – in association with The Bookcase

BOOK OF THE WEEK with Linda Jennings. The Animal Book, David Burnie, ISBN 9781409323495 (DK) BD9.500 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members

The wonders of the natural world come to life in full colour in this, in my opinion, the ultimate book on animals and insects.

Come face to face with flying snakes, shape-shifting octopuses, colour-changing chameleons, exploding fungi and carnivorous plants in this spectacular guide to animals and every other living thing on Earth.

Wrap this up and put it under the Christmas tree along with this year’s Guinness Book of Records and you won’t regret it!

The Animal Book is the complete guide to the natural world for curious children and budding naturalists. From the tiny toadstool to the giant oak, the smallest spider to the largest elephant, the wonders of life are here to see in stunning photo galleries. With over 1,500 species of animals and plants to learn about, The Animal Book is also perfect for school projects and homework.

The ‘Tree of Life’ at the start of the book will show you how species are connected, as well as guiding you through everything from microscopic life to fish, birds, reptiles and mammals. Ever wondered how a polar bear looks when trying to catch fish? Amazing full page pictures show you animals in their natural habitats, going about their lives. Fact boxes and amazing galleries take you on a complete learning journey.

The Animal Book really is the ultimate book on the natural world, from A(moeba) to Z(ebra).

Another great book for the curious child
The Story Of Titanic For Children, Joe Fullman, ISBN 9781783121496 (Carlton Kids), BD7.300 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members

This book tells the story of Titanic, known as the most famous ship in the world. Packed with photographs, facts and little-known stories of the ‘unsinkable’ ship and the people who created it, perished and survived its end, this book captures the essence of one of the most spellbinding tragedies of the 20th century.

Explore the beautiful sundecks, marvel at the luxurious design and relive the tragic sinking: even one hundred years on, the captivating story of the Titanic has lost none of its appeal.

The beautiful images and bite-sized information boxes bring the Titanic to life, from its construction to the victims and survivors after its tragic sinking. Filled with amazing facts and details this book will satisfy even the most curious minds and is most suitable for young persons aged eight and above.

My favourite read of the week

Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson went on a trip around Great Britain to celebrate the green and kindly island that had become his adopted country. The hilarious book that resulted, Notes from a Small Island, was taken to the nation’s heart and became the bestselling travel book ever, and was also voted in a BBC poll the book that ‘best’ represents the nation.

Now, to mark the 20th anniversary of that modern classic, Bryson makes a brand-new journey round the UK to see what has changed. Following (but not too closely) a route he dubs the Bryson Line, from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath, by way of places that many people never get to at all, Bryson sets out to rediscover the wondrously beautiful, magnificently eccentric, endearingly unique country that he thought he knew but doesn’t altogether recognise any more.

Yet, despite Britain’s occasional failings and more or less eternal bewilderments, Bryson is still pleased to call that rainy island home. And, not just because of the cream teas, a noble history and an extra day off at Christmas. Once again, with his matchless homing instinct for the funniest and quirkiest, his unerring eye for the idiotic, the endearing, the ridiculous and the scandalous, Bryson gives us an acute and perceptive insight into all that is best and worst about Britain today.