By Andy Seed (author) , Gareth Conway (illustrator) Part of the Interview With series
Paperback In Stock £7.99 £7.19
View All Editions (1)
If you could go back in time and talk to famous villains from the past, what would you ask?
Brave animal interviewer and author Andy Seed has adapted his incredible 'tranimalator' device into a time machine, allowing him to go back and talk to all kinds of figures from history! Get to know 10 famous villains who take a quick break from dastardly deeds to answer all sorts of (very nosy) questions about their actions and unique perspectives.
Are they as wicked as we've been led to believe? Will Andy make it out alive? Discover the good, the bad, and the unexpected as each villain reveals the truth about their lives - and attempts to find out about the future!
In this fun and fact-filled book, bite-sized text in a question-and-answer format is paired with engaging illustrations, perfect for reluctant readers and humour-seeking history fans. Featuring interviews with Blackbeard, Ivan the Terrible, Nero and more - plus bonus facts about the time period and its events.
Perfect for fans of the Horrible Histories books, this series offers a fun, fresh take on history, featuring true stories from historical figures from across the world.
Andy Seed is an author and poet. He writes memoirs, funny poems and humorous non-fiction books as well as all sorts of things for teachers. Two of his greatest passions are cheese and table tennis, which he feels sure could be combined somehow one day. Andy lives on the side of a hill in the woolly wilds of North Yorkshire where he grows comedy vegetables and the best weeds for miles around. He also loves visiting schools and getting children reading for enjoyment. Andy's most popular book for adults is All Teachers Great and Small and his most popular book for children is The Silly Book of Side-Splitting Stuff , which won the 2015 Blue Peter Best Book with Facts Award.
Read a Q&A with Andy Seed:
Describe your book in about 15 words:
A fun guide to being a nature detective and discovering animals from the clues they leave behind.
How do you get the ideas for your books, especially The Clue is in the Poo?
I spend a lot of time with kids and I know the types of things that interest them and also parents and teachers. I read a lot, do research at the library, travel around a lot and explore wild places (and get lost a lot). I also collect interesting snippets and facts and true stories that can be used to make good books. And then it’s a case of adding some funny bits, maybe a splash of silliness and making it enjoyable to read. With ‘The Clue is in the Poo’ I borrowed lots of big detailed books about animal tracks and signs from my local library and used them to learn things I didn’t know. Then I walked around the forest where I live and I looked at the kinds of things that children are most likely to come across and be interested in. Then I added facts about dangerous and very large, exotic creatures, to add a thrill element, and there was a book that was useful, enjoyable and interesting.
What is your favourite children’s book? Both right now and when you were a child. Why?
Right now, I think The Iron Man by Ted Hughes is just a great, simple, powerful story. When I was young it was Stig of the Dump – it took you into a magical, wild and adventurous world. My current fact-book fav is The Usborne Official Astronaut’s Handbook (Louie Stowell) – this combines brilliantly info, wit, stories, great illustrations and expert knowledge. Outstanding.
Why are books important to you?
Stories give you a chance to enter another world and learn about other people and happenings you’ll probably never encounter. But for a time you are there, in it, living it. Our minds when we read great stories paint far more vivid pictures than any digital screen ever will.
Factual books I love too: true stories (biographies and memoirs) tell us about real amazing lives and events. Then who doesn’t love a wacky random fact or a clever explanation of the way that some small part of the world or nature works? And if a book can make me laugh too then that’s the best thing of all: we all need to giggle.
And poetry is wonderful too: playing with words to bring alive wit and fun and power.
Choose one thing that you would like your readers to take away after reading your book:
That there are clues to wildlife activity everywhere – and even a pile of poo can tell you a lot!
Did anything surprising happen during the writing of your book?
Living on the edge of a forest I was able to go for walks and see loads of the clues I was writing about and now I notice a lot more than I used to. On one of these research rambles I came face to face with a very big and fierce-looking wild boar. Luckily it didn’t consider me worth mangling!
No more Non-Fiction! - You Couldn’t Make It Up says Andy Seed, award-winning author of over 30 fact books for children.
the best books for 9-12 year olds
Quiet Riot: True Tales of Shy Superheroes Who Changed the World
Ibram Kendi and 2 more
Villainous Victorians
Shakespeare Shake-Up
The Great Fire of London
If you could go back in time and talk to famous villains from the past, what would you ask? Brave animal interviewer and author Andy Seed has adapted his incredible 'tranimalator' device into a time machine, allowing him to go back and talk to all kinds of figures from history!
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Interview With Blackbeard & Other Vicious Villains and determined it is suitable for children aged 7-10 years old
Interview With Blackbeard & Other Vicious Villains features in the following genres: Featured Books for 7+ readers, Featured Books for 9+ readers, History, People / Places, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Pirates, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Biography and autobiography, Recommendations, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Adventurers and outlaws
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Interview With Blackbeard & Other Vicious Villains was written by Andy Seed and published by Welbeck Children's Books an imprint of Hachette Children's Group
Interview With Blackbeard & Other Vicious Villains has 124 pages
Yes it is part of Interview With series
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.