What Are You Looking For?

Jillian faces a move, a changed family and summer camp, then gets a break from camp and makes a new friend through catsitting. Neighbour-watching leads her and Emily towards a mystery and an attempt to help.

A rainstorm turns discarded scraps drifting in water into ‘rain fish’: playful shapes made from things such as newspaper, shells, feathers, cardboard and leaves.

A young artist notices the colour, patterns, people and sensory life around him, then reimagines his everyday surroundings through art.

A life of Thoreau is paired with projects that invite readers to try activities connected with nature and everyday observation, from gardening and hiking to keeping a journal.

A child’s ambition develops into a life in art: Hopper studies, works as an illustrator and pursues paintings shaped by light, shadow and scenes he observes. The book also shows how he combined real details with imagination.

This Tudor court mystery follows Lady Grace as she investigates a death after a ball, with help from Ellie and Masou.

Look closely at how the street changes from a worn urban setting into a greener shared space, with neighbours helping to reshape it.

Expect a shared-looking-and-searching experience rather than a detailed lesson about camouflage: the scenes are intricate, and the animal information is brief.

A clue-solving collection that invites readers to form their own explanations before turning to the answers. Its short, self-contained cases make it easy to pause and discuss a mystery between reading sessions.

A journey story about independence, unfamiliar company and river travel, with Megan’s judgement central to how she meets uncertain situations.

A hands-on introduction to varied scientific ideas, built around projects that can be tried at home rather than a continuous story.

A focused introduction to binoculars, explaining their parts and how they magnify distant objects, with observation and motion prediction also in view.

A wildlife-focused narrative with large, full-colour photographs, following a biologist as he observes an uncommon animal. It may appeal to readers interested in Tasmanian devils and wildlife observation; the depth of the science is unclear.

This is a practical introduction to weather and its effects, with a geographical focus. Its questions invite readers to investigate, compare places and connect the subject with everyday choices.

A guided introduction to electricity that links familiar uses, such as lamps and radiators, with questions about how electricity works and how it reaches homes.

A visual search through varied habitats combines finding hidden insects with learning more about them. The mixed-media scenes make close looking central to the experience.

A practical nature guide that pairs wild-flower facts and identification clues with hands-on activities such as pressing flowers and growing seeds.

A broad collection of science-fair investigations, from botany and magnets to chemistry, astronomy and maths, offering practical ways to explore questions across several subjects.

A practical introduction to noticing field and meadow wildlife, combining natural-history topics with projects, nature diaries and observation clues. Conservation is part of its stated purpose, not just identification.

This offers a childhood-focused view of Newton: a curious boy observing, recording and making things before becoming known for scientific achievements.

A young city messenger is drawn into a school mystery involving a strange parcel, supernatural events and a curse. His growing understanding of yinchido is part of the story, though its role in resolving events is unclear.

Expect an animal-identity guessing activity alongside factual material, rather than a narrative about a kangaroo character. The photographs and written clues are intended to work together.

A map-loving pupil faces a mystery after secret maps about school life disappear and threatening notes arrive. The investigation offers puzzles, inventive interests and school relationships, while privacy and the effects of representing other people deserve attention.

A lively introduction to conservation science, using dogs’ extraordinary sense of smell to make animal biology tangible. The scat-centred premise is deliberately attention-grabbing and may particularly appeal to readers fascinated by dogs, wildlife or gross subjects.

This is animal-centred nature fiction, following a mountain ram and a bear in North American wildlands. Its interest lies in close observation of behaviour, habitat and survival rather than a clearly established human-led adventure.

This is a hands-on introduction to everyday science: children investigate familiar materials and phenomena while following illustrated procedures, encountering beginning maths and receiving short explanations of what they observe.

This is an interactive mystery collection: each case gives readers clues before Encyclopedia Brown’s solution. Its short investigations invite observation, deduction and discussion rather than requiring one continuous storyline.

This offers a hands-on introduction to electricity and magnetism, with experiments supported by colour illustrations. Its practical focus may suit a child who enjoys finding out how scientific effects work.

A playful, educational world tour: readers encounter animals and habitats alongside maps, landmarks, geographical features, games and exercises, with familiar Angry Birds characters providing the organising frame.

This is a school-based mystery about a girl who is unsure of her future, notices suspicious behaviour, and decides to investigate. It combines career imagination, friendship and possible jewel theft.

This is a mother-search story shaped by longing, reunion and uncertainty, balanced with playful cat adventures. Its mysteries range from ordinary household questions to explorations beyond home, giving the emotional storyline a curious, companionable setting.

Expect a child-centred fictional story shaped by imaginative play and visual scenes. Jamie appears in adventurous roles, but the available details do not establish the complete storyline, tone or resolution.

This is an activity-led introduction to chemistry, with experiments, apparatus, reactions and historical illustrations. Its strongest appeal is probably practical discovery; its most important feature for families is the presence of genuinely hazardous procedures and substances.

A lively introduction to tide-pool life, combining real-life photographs with concise facts about three easily overlooked animals. Its questions and labelled features invite children to look closely rather than simply read passively.

A hands-on guide to collecting personal observations in a journal, turning them into a first draft, and bringing structure and writing elements together into a polished story.

This is a brisk detective adventure led by an inventive young protagonist. It offers missing-person puzzles, disguises, sibling tension and eventual cooperation, with humour and suspense rather than an informational or realistic treatment.

This is an activity-led introduction to art as investigation: readers learn principles, see examples from artists and scientists, and try practical experiments rather than simply reading about finished artworks.

A visually led introduction to camouflage, showing how animals’ colours, patterns, shapes and behaviours help them blend into surroundings. It combines scientific explanation with close observation and dramatic artwork.

A nature-focused fiction book for sharing aloud or reading together, offering close observation of birds alongside a child’s curiosity, wonder and growing attention to the living world.

Expect a shared counting journey through coastal sights, rising from one to ten before reversing direction. The structure invites children to spot, say and count objects alongside an adult.

A hands-on introduction to discovering the world, with the identified related content focusing on the sky, space and the solar system. Its illustrations and revealing features invite shared looking and questioning rather than sustained narrative reading.

A structured introduction to animal behaviour that encourages close observation, comparison between species and healthy scepticism. It offers a broad scientific framework rather than focusing on one animal, habitat or single narrative.

This is an imaginative quest with playful creatures and a strong emphasis on noticing the world, stretching imagination and remaining open to discovery. Its genetics strand adds moral complexity beyond the fantasy adventure.

This offers a visually rich way into deep time: readers learn about changing life and Earth while searching illustrations for creatures, then using the glossary to revisit unfamiliar terms and animals.

A concise nature-focused introduction to summer in the UK, linking longer, warmer days with changes in plants, insects and animals. It highlights fruit, bees, storms and the solstice as things to notice.