You know there are some people you really, really admire and also get a little annoyed with because they're so talented? Well, that's how I feel about author Shruthi Rao. 

I've been reading Shruthi since around 2005 when we both blogged and in recent years I have become a huge fan of her writing for children. Manya Learns to Roar (published by Duckbill) is one of my favourite chapter books.

It's Shruthi's talent for writing non-fiction though that I am just a teeny bit jealous of. It's fresh, fun and funny and she always conveys just the right amount of information and facts so that the young reader's eyes don't glaze over. 

We picked up How We Know What We know: Fascinating Stories of Discovery and Invention from Lightroom Bookstores a few months ago.

From natural history to inventions to scientific ideas that changed the world, the book is divided into sections and each sub-topic  is no more than 2-3 pages long. Making it perfect for flipping through,  stopping on a random page and reading.  Which is something I've seen the 10 year old do alot with this book over the past few months. 

This is a great book for kids who love science and for those who think science and math is a drag because it's taught in a very textbook way at school. They'll laugh at some of the  ideas humans had about the world around them and marvel at the future generations who investigated and debunked these ideas. And I think best of all, they'll start to look at the world around them in a very different way. Indeed, the 10 year old now wants to preserve Woody's poop till it fossilises and becomes a coprolyte. If you want to know what that is, buy Shruthi's book and find out!

Available at all good independent bookstores near you!