A different type of post today…

Say what you want about squeezy cheese in a tube but you can’t beat it when it comes to teaching the alphabet. Recently I have been using it to write letters on sandwiches, and having cheesy conversations:

What’s your name?

You know my name.

Can you tell me again?

Tom.

OK, Tom. What’s the first letter in your name?

(Here comes a zigzag in the air)…

So here you are: T on dark bread.

Tom is excited.

Others follow.

I’m Mat! Can I have M?

And so we write and eat and afterwards there’s no evidence (and we know what happens when someone finds evidence)…

I can also make a paper boat, and am very good at building LEGO houses with gardens. But I am no expert in details in regard to human-powered vehicles and our own bodies, hence I suggest that you turn to people who are interested in and know about these things. I was lucky to receive two books (thank you FMcM Associates!) from the ground-breaking new series for children aged 6-9, which sees leading experts introduce curious young minds to hot topics. From money and human-powered vehicles, to how the human body works, Little Experts is set to take young readers on unforgettable adventures and inspire them to discover more about the incredible world they live in.

First is Amazing Bodies by the award-winning trans non-binary emergency doctor and TV presenter Dr Ronx who takes readers on a tour around the human body. Ashton Attzs, a UK-based artist illustrated this book. His paintings and digital illustrations are a vehicle to empower and celebrate the everyday person, and fit perfectly with the text which give introduction to human anatomy, and shares some fun facts. Did you know that ‘in your lifetime you could lose up to 35 kilograms of skin cells – that’s about the weight of eight cats!’? Or that ‘the smallest muscle is in your ear, called the stapedius and is less than 2 millimetres long’? Also, ‘the largest muscle is the gluteus maximus. It makes up the bum muscle!’ I had no idea. Dr Ronx said “I was inspired to become a doctor after seeing a TV programme set in a hospital. The doctors were kind, caring, and were of all ages, abilities, races and renders, Now want to inspire children to become experts on the human body and wow their friends, family, and teachers with fascinating facts.”

James May’s Marvelous Vehicles are about human-powered vehicles which the writer and broadcaster, best known for co-presenting The Grand Tour and Top Gear, finds fascinating: ‘Believe it or not, the first working submarine was human-powered. That’s because it was built in 1620, when the only means of powering boats were sails or oars. As sails won’t work underwater, it had to have oars.’ ‘This ‘diving boat’ (the word ‘submarine’ hadn’t been invented yet) was built from a wooden frame covered with waterproofed leather. It travelled about four metres below the River Thames, in London.’ May’s favourite mode of transport is bicycle, and definitely not a unicycle which ‘is less than half a bike, and the pedals are attached directly to the wheel. There are also no brakes. I tried a unicycle once but faceplanted.’ Illustrations are by Emans, an Italian-Brazilian illustrator who studied graphics in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and currently lives and works in Italy.

I read both books and learnt interesting new facts. I might use this knowledge while I write in cheese. The books found a new home already, with eight-year-old twins Florence and Jackson.