By Clive Gifford (author) , Pete Gamlen (illustrator)
Hardback Not Available
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October 2019 Non-Fiction Book of the Month
This book put smell, the Cinderella of the senses, into the spotlight. It examines smelly facts about the human body, some of them really rather disgusting, as well as the power and importance of our sense of smell. It looks at how animals use smell and how plants use it too to attract insects or keep animals away.
And it looks at smells and smelling through history before taking a last look at weird and wonderful odours. With unusual facts and information on every page it’s well worth a nose. I was particularly fascinated by the ‘odorous occupations’ highlighted in panels throughout the book and children will be definitely tempted to try out the smelly experiments and activities it suggests too.
Everyone smells! The sense of smell plays a crucial part in survival, communication, and taste, and is the basis of a multi-billion-dollar industry. But, despite all this, it's the sense we often know least about.
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This hilarious and fact-packed book puts that right. Find out everything you could ever want to know about stinks, whiffs and pongs, from the fruit so pungent it's banned from public transport to the top-secret military programme developing the stinkiest stink bomb.
Clive Gifford is an award-winning author of over 200 books specializing in engaging and entertaining non-fiction books for children and young adults. His books have garnered much praise and won Children's Choice, NAPPA Gold Star, TES Book of the Year and Smithsonian awards. Refugees was shortlisted for The British Book Awards whilst Discover the Extreme World was on the four-book shortlist for the 2012 Blue Peter Book Award. In October 2018, Clive won The Sainsbury's Children's Book Award for The Book Of Comparisons. He also won The Blue Peter Book Award 2019 for The Colours of History.
With a lifelong interest in geopolitics, ecology and the environment, Clive has authored a number of titles on ecology and global issues for Heinemann, Franklin Watts, Lonely Planet, DK and now Buster Books. Clive has contributed many articles to Encyclopaedia Britannica, appeared on radio and at live events and written hundreds of articles to a wide range of publications. He is based in Manchester.
A Q&A on This is Not a Science Book
Is your new book This is Not a Science Book a science book or what?
Ahhh, that would be telling! I can tell you what it is not and that’s a stuffy school science textbook. It is an entertaining activities book with lots of drawing, investigating, colouring-in, project making and puzzling to be done but it does show how all around you, science is constantly happening.
The book is packed with surprising facts and phenomena and activities to scramble your brain with visual illusions and tricks. Why not have a look yourselves, then you can tell me whether the book is out science or about fun or, a lot of both.
I live in a large three-storey tumbledown house on the very edge of Manchester. It's pretty old - I think it was built in 1906 - and there always seems to be bits of it falling off! It overlooks the Mersey Valley and I can cycle through countryside and canal paths to get to the centre of Manchester.
What do you carry with you when you travel for your writing?
I always carry a notebook and several pens (I am constantly losing pens) to jot down any ideas that spring to mind. I also carry a digital camera or my smartphone to snap pictures and a tiny MP3 player to record interviews. There’s always a pack of Post-It notes in one of my pockets to mark pages of books with useful information to return to, as well.
What is your favourite children's book ever?
That is a toughie! I can give you several favourites if that is okay, starting with the ‘Golden Compass/Northern Lights’ trilogy by Phillip Pullman which I think were truly magical examples of storytelling and David Almond’s ‘Skellig’ which is a truly beautiful story.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Books. No question. Every project I work on needs lots of books to research the subject and gives me the excuse to go to the bookshop and spend, spend, spend! I haven’t counted them but I reckon I’ve got over 7,000 books all littered round my house!
Do you still buy books at shops or do you get all your facts off the internet?
The Internet is, of course, very useful especially for checking and getting the most up to date statistic or snippet but the information on there often only tells a tiny part of the whole story. For a complete picture of how or why something works or more detail, I still think books and magazines are extremely important. I visit bookshops and use libraries all the time. The libraries in my area, Trafford, are excellent and we have an amazing old bookshop over in Sharston which has more than half a million old books!
What would you like to be if you weren't a writer?
Really good question! I really would have liked to have been a rock star but was lousy at playing the guitar. The other job I would have liked was to be a documentary film-maker.
the best books for 7-9 year olds
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Windrush Child: Graphic Novel
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This is funny and enjoyable, even though they've ruined pandas and ice-cream. I can't wait to share it with my friends.
I really like this book, it's funny and enjoyable and full of facts that you can share with your friends, especially if they're eating cheese or popcorn. The funniest fact is that giant pandas sometimes do a handstand when they need a wee. The most disgusting thing is the foot-cheese, and they've ruined ice-cream. I used to really like ice-cream but now, ew!... Read Full Review
The perfect book for young children
This is a brilliant, brightly illustrated book all about smells, odours and pongs! As a part of nature, our survival and much more, this book shares interesting, silly and entertaining and above all smelly information about the human body.... Read Full Review
This book is great, really interesting, funny and full of crazy, unbelievable but true facts.
‘You Smell’ is a non-fiction book on my favourite subject: smells! When I saw the cover, I was excited to read it and having read it I was not disappointed; this book is great, really interesting, funny and full of crazy, unbelievable but true facts.
Did you know that your feet can produce up to two cups of sweat a day? Or that in just one month, you can fart enough gas to inflate up to 20 party balloons? (although my mum says I can power up 40 party balloons!)
I especially like the way that the information is laid out, in all the speech bubbles. It is also extremely colourful, and the pictures are presented perfectly for me.... Read Full Review
Everyone smells! The sense of smell plays a crucial part in survival, communication, and taste, and is the basis of a multi-billion-dollar industry.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed You Smell!:(and so does everything else) and determined it is suitable for children aged 7-10 years old
You Smell!:(and so does everything else) features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Recommendations, Books to Motivate Reluctant Readers age 9+, Featured Books for 7+ readers, Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Science, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 9+ readers
Hardback. Not Available.
You Smell!:(and so does everything else) was written by Clive Gifford and published by Laurence King Publishing
You Smell!:(and so does everything else) has 48 pages
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