This section of our site features reviews and recommendations regarding use in the primary school with reference to the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence outcomes.
The HSS will provide one class set of any one title free of charge.
Schools should apply to education@humanism-scotland.org.uk
The books are in divided into two sections:
- Early years and Level 1 (nursery to P4)
- Level 2 (P5-P7)
The star rating refers to the usefulness of the book as a resource to meet the new outcomes in the primary classroom. Some of the books reviewed are excellent in their own right, but not necessarily suitable for the classroom.
- ***** Excellent resource
- **** Good resource
- *** A resource to supplement others
- ** Only some useful elements for the classroom
- * Not suitable for the primary class at all
Books in the review
Early years and level 1
- How to Behave and Why - Munro Leaf ****
- There is a Purple Dragon in my Washing Machine - Raul Martinez **
- I Miss You (A First Look at Death) - Pat Thomas ****
- When Dinosaurs Die (A guide to understanding death) - L K Brown and M Brown *****
- The Tree of Life - The Wonders of Evolution - Ellen Jackson ****
- Hey, Little Ant - Phillip and Hannah Hoose *****
- On the Day you were Born - Debra Frasier *****
- Our Family Tree - An Evolution Story - Lisa Westberg Peters **
Level 2
- Alexander Fox and the Amazing Mind Reader - John Clayton *****
- If you Had to Choose, What Would you Do? - Sandra McLeod Humphrey *****
- Maybe Yes, Maybe No (A guide for young sceptics) - Dan Barker *****
- Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong - Dan Barker *****
- Humanism, What's That? - Helen Bennett **
- Humanism for Kids - Family of Humanists Star ***
- Evolve or Die (Horrible Science) - Phil Gates *****
- The Magic Detectives - Joe Nickell ****
- Evolution Revolution - From Darwin to DNA - Robert Winston *****
- What Makes Me Me? - Dr Robert Winston Star Rating *****
- Darwin and Evolution for Kids - Kristan Lawson **
Books for parents
Early years and level 1
How to Behave and Why
Munro Leaf ISBN 13: 978-0-7893-0684-5
This book is simple and easy to understand. The author describes four simple rules for being a Responsible Citizen. The language is clear and allows plenty of opportunity to develop class discussion. This book would be useful at the start of term or for ideas to discuss during circle time.
I would recommend this book for Stage 1 (P2-P4) in the Scottish Curriculum.
Outcomes covered by this book include:
Religious and Moral Education – development of beliefs and values.
Health and Well Being – emotional health and relationships
****
There is a Purple Dragon in my Washing Machine
Raul Martinez Suzarte purple.dragon.morado@gmail.com
This is a lovely short story about people who say a dragon eats the socks in the washing machine. The idea is to show how people make up stories to explain the unexplained.
The story would be enjoyed by early years, but they would probably not understand what the story was implying. The story may be more beneficial to Stage 1 pupils as a way of introducing Thinking Skills or as a Circle Time activity.
I would not use this book to develop a particular curricular area, but more as a stand alone item.
**
I Miss You (A First Look at Death)
Pat Thomas ISBN 10:0-7641-1764-5
This sensitive book is an excellent way to talk about a taboo subject. It explains very simply about death being a natural part of life, the feelings that we experience and how people use funerals as a gathering to say goodbye. It makes reference to different cultures and beliefs and as such would be a useful part of any RME topic. The back of the book makes some useful suggestions about how to use the book as a supportive way of talking about death.The lovely illustrations in this book make it a useful resource for Early Years and Stage One pupils.
Outcomes covered by this book include:
RME – Christianity special ceremonies (RME 1-03a)
World Religions special ceremonies (RME 1-06a)
Development of Beliefs and Values
Health and Well being – feelings and emotions
****
When Dinosaurs Die (A Guide to Understanding Death)
L K Brown and M Brown ISBN 0-316-11955-5A beautifully illustrated book which explains in simple terms why people die and what death means. It sensitively discusses feelings about death and how to cope with them.It suggests ways that friends can help and is therefore particularly useful in the classroom. It carefully describes the different customs and ideas that people have about saying goodbye to a loved one and suggests good ways to remember someone you’ve lost. The book is short and simple enough to use in one lesson or could easily be expanded to use for a series of lessons.
This book is highly recommended for P1 up to and including P 5 (age 9/10)
Outcomes covered:
Health and wellbeing – feelings and emotions
RME – World Religion special ceremonies
Development of beliefs and values
*****
The Tree of Life - The Wonders of Evolution
Ellen Jackson ISBN 1-59102-240
Fantastic! – At last a book for infants about evolution. Evolution is explained in very simple terms.The wonder and the beauty of the world and natural selection are explored and explained in simple terms.I would recommend this book specifically as an addition to the infant’s library to supplement the array of biblical books and religious books found in most schools.
Suitable for P1-3
****
Hey, Little Ant
Phillip and Hannah Hoose ISBN-10 1-883672-54-6
This is a lovely, funny story to encourage infants to think about putting themselves in someone else’s shoes and to be tolerant and think of others. The rhythmic story can be taught as a song as the music is at the back of the book and a CD is available.The story/song cleverly finishes with a question to open discussions with the children.
Suitable for Nursery-P3
Outcomes:
RME – Development of values and beliefs
Health and Wellbeing – Relationships
*****
On the Day you Were Born
Debra Frasier ISBN0-15-257995-8
A beautifully illustrated book reminding us what a wonderful planet we live upon. Using simple words on each page, it is a great base from which to discuss subjects such as migrating animals, the spinning of the earth and the sun, moon and stars, growing trees, rainfall, atmosphere and population and people. It simply shows our place in the world when we are born. The section at the back of the book gives more details about the world around us and could be used by teachers to develop a topic.
Suitable for P2-P5 as the story is simple, but the possibilities for discussion and topic work are extensive and can be adapted to suit the stage.
Outcomes:
Sciences – Planet Earth, Topical Science
Literacy – Talking and Listening
Expressive Art – links to art, drama and music
*****
Our Family Tree - An Evolution Story
Lisa Westberg Peters ISBN 0-15-201772-0
A wonderfully illustrated book which explains the traits and abilities we have inherited from years of evolution. The story is told in very simple terms, but is supplemented by an excellent scientific section at the back which explains in detail what the pictures and words in the story are referring to.
The pictures make the story suitable for young readers, but the detail also makes it useful for older children to investigate further. This would be a useful book for a school library for teachers to read and discuss in class.It could also be useful for topical science as it explains DNA.
**
Level 2
Alexander Fox and the Amazing Mind Reader
John Clayton ISBN 1-57392-221-8
This humorous book is a good story to read to the whole class. It is about a young character who describes himself as a ‘scientific investigator.’ He seeks proof when faced with a so called psychic called Mr Mystikos. The story demonstrates how easily people are prepared to take things at face value and tend not to ask questions and test situations. It is a good story for discussing what makes a good scientific test and that facts need to be studied before coming up with a theory. Primary 6/7 will find the story very relevant and funny.
In addition to the RME Outcomes: ‘Development of Beliefs and Values’ and ‘Health and Wellbeing’ this could also be considered as an opener for science topics and as part of Topical Science.
*****
If you Had to Choose, What Would you Do?
Sandra McLeod Humphrey ISBN 1-57392-010-X
This is an excellent book to facilitate discussions about various moral, social and ethical issues. There are 25 different stories with thought provoking questions to promote discussion.The book starts with notes for both adults and children which help both get the most from the stories and scenarios for discussion. The stories are nice and short, only about 3 pages, which makes them ideal for one-off lessons or being used together as a series of lessons. Issues covered include: stealing, friendship, bullying, responsibility for doing chores, homework, lost property, cheating, teasing, siblings, racism, peer pressure, telling tales and keeping promises.
The stories in this book could be easily understood by P3-P7 and the discussions could be adapted to suit either Level 1 or 2.
Outcomes: Health and Wellbeing – Various, from Mental, Emotional, Social and Physical Wellbeing,
*****
Maybe Yes, Maybe No (A Guide for Young Sceptics)
Dan Barker ISBN 13: 978-087975607-9
This is an excellent book for encouraging Critical Thinking Skills. Ties in well with four capacities, especially the Confident Individual and Effective Contributor.
Following the story of a girl called Andrea, pupils are encouraged to be curious, ask questions, and discover facts and not to accept everything that is presented in the media as fact. It discusses how to use scientific methods to solve mysteries and to look for proof and evidence. This book helps pupils to learn the life long skill of thinking for themselves.
I would recommend this book mainly for Stage 2 (P5 –P7); however P4 may also find this beneficial.
Outcomes covered by this book include:
Health and Wellbeing – mental, emotional, social and physical health.
*****
Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong
Dan Barker ISBN-13 978-0-87975-731-1
This is an excellent book to use at the start of a new term when basic ground rules are being set for the class. It talks about the differences between principles and rules and covers all the essential values and morals we try to develop such as Life is valuable; respecting the rights of others; fairness; honesty; responsibility; kindness; knowledge; and enjoying life. It cleverly discusses how our principles can sometimes be in conflict with each other and about making appropriate choices.
The language is very straight forward, but can be used for more in depth discussion the further up the school you go. The book could therefore be used from P3-P7 successfully.
Outcomes:
Health and Wellbeing – mental, emotional and social relationships
RME – Development of Beliefs and Values
*****
Humanism, What's That?
Helen Bennett ISBN 1-59102-387-4
This is a very interesting book, but is very specific to American schools. It is written in the form of a script between a teacher and pupils and explains what humanism is, referring to Unitarian Humanism. The book could be of value if Humanism was being discussed as part of a RME topic.The activities and discussion section at the back could be useful for a Humanism Topic, but the Scottish Humanist web site has much more relevant education material for Scotland.The poetry section at the back might be more useful as an introduction to values and morals. They would also be useful for Assemblies and ‘Get Togethers’ where songs and poetry are often used.Most suitable for P5-7.
Outcomes:
RME – Development of Beliefs and Values
**
Humanism for Kids
Family of HumanistsThis book clearly explains that Humanism is a philosophy and not a religion. It refers to the Golden Rule followed by most religions and speaks positively about values and morals and in particular about not fighting over beliefs. A lot of the information in this book is similar to the information available on the Scottish Humanist Education web pages. However the web pages provide more ideas to generate discussion and activities for use in the classroom.
Suitable for P3-P7.
Outcomes:
RME – Development of Beliefs and Values
Health and Wellbeing – Mental, Emotional and social
***
Evolve or Die (Horrible Science)
Phil Gates ISBN 978-1-407105-35-2
This witty book is useful as both a teaching resource or as a library resource. Through humour, questions, simple layout and illustrations the book explains the history of the Earth; Darwin’s discoveries; genetics; fossils; extinctions; dinosaurs; the evolution of the eye, feet and wings; and continental drift. There are some simple experiments throughout the book which could easily be done in the classroom. Questions and quizzes throughout encourage thought, discussion and assessment. Even explanations of the biological Latin names are explained in a child friendly way.The layout of the book could easily allow teachers to develop the information into a cross curricular topic. There are lots of famous scientists to discover; biological explanations; historical references and geological information which explain earth’s story in a coherent, linked way.
Suitable for P6-P7, Level 2.
Outcomes:
Sciences – Planet Earth SCN 2-01a, SCN 2-02a, Biological Systems
SCN 2-14a, SCN 2-14b
Social Studies – SOC 2-01a, SOC 2-06a
Technologies – ICT for further research
Literacy – Listening and Talking and Writing opportunities
*****
The Magic Detectives
Joe Nickell ISBN 0-87975-547-4
This book will be of interest to children as it takes advantage of their interest in supernatural phenomena such as UFOs, mind reading, ghosts, fortune telling etc. Using well known stories and people, such as Nostradamus, Yuri Geller, Loch Ness Monster, Chariots of the Gods etc it explores the stories in short paragraphs giving clues as to the real solutions. There are 30 such examples which can serve as a basis for essays, research and science projects.
The stories could easily be used for literacy work or to inspire art work. They will certainly help develop critical thinking skills through questioning.
Suitable for P5-P7 Level 2.
Outcomes:
Literacy – Listening and talking, writing
Some stories could also be linked to science topics
****
Evolution Revolution - From Darwin to DNA
Robert Winston ISBN 978-1-40533-719-9
As always Dr Robert Winston explains complex ideas in a simple and easy to understand way. Published by DK books, it is illustrated to an extremely high standard which enhances the learning experience of those reading it. The book has many uses in the classroom, but would be particularly useful for developing an interdisciplinary science topic, as complex issues are simply explained and illustrated. There are good experiments and questions for pupils to consider.The first section gives examples of many Creation Stories from around the world, and then sets the scene with historical figures prior to Darwin.
The second section provides information about Darwin, his amazing journey and his theory. It explains adaptation and survival and gives children the opportunity to try one of Darwin’s experiments, which can easily be replicated in the classroom.An excellent description and illustration is provided for the evolution of the eye.
The third section of the book is all about genes and how they can be altered or mutated over time. The complex study of DNA is excellently covered. Students are given some research to do examining which genes they may have inherited.
The final section is Evolution in Action and classes would enjoy developing a time line similar to that illustrated in the book. This chapter looks at how things are still evolving and answers questions such as ‘How did the elephant get his trunk?’
This book is an essential asset to the modern primary school. It is most suited to P6 and P7.
Outcomes: Sciences (Planet Earth, Biological Systems, Topical Science).
*****
What Makes Me Me?
Dr Robert Winston ISBN 978-1-4053-0359-0
An absolutely fantastic book for explaining biological facts to P6-P7. It starts by looking at all the ingredients required to make a human body and explains all the different body parts and our senses in easy to understand terms.Secondly it looks at what makes us all unique and provides excellent opportunities to look at finger prints, eye colour, and genes. The ideas in the book could easily be transferred into an interesting and motivating interdisciplinary science topic. This section also looks at human development from egg to adulthood.
The third section is fascinating and looks at how the brain works and discusses concepts such as memory, thoughts, and imagination. This section includes lots of ideas such as memory testing, spatial awareness and verbal and numerical testing and lateral thinking. These could all be easily adapted for the classroom.
The section on personality also provides good examples of testing your personality. It looks at dreaming, emotions, fears and phobias. In addition it discusses reading body language and fulfilling your potential.As such this topic could easily form part of Health and Wellbeing.
This book is positive and entertaining and is full of FAQs to consider. In addition the illustrations and tests provide excellent opportunities for teachers to develop a very interesting topic.
Outcomes:
Sciences (Biological Systems), topical science
Health & Wellbeing (Mental, emotional and social wellbeing; Relationships)
*****
Darwin and Evolution for Kids
Kristan Lawson ISBN 978-1-55652-502-5
Whilst this is an extremely interesting book and full of fascinating information, the layout and detail is more appropriate for secondary school children.There are some 21 activities suggested in the book and some of these would be suitable for the primary classroom and could be used in conjunction with a science topic. Some good examples include classifying things into related family groups, observing nature and recording findings, experiments involving seeds, exploring different foods, keeping a voyage journal and creating your own fossil.
This book may be a useful background resource for a teacher, as opposed to a resource for the classroom.
**
Books for parents
What About Gods?
Chris Brockman ISBN 13:978-0-87975-106-7
I found this book a bit dogmatic and I don’t think it would be beneficial in the school environment. It is certainly useful for atheist parents, but comes across as anti-religious, which is not useful in the non-denominational sector.*
Just Pretend
Dan Barker ISBN 1-877-73305-9
This book is definitely one for parents rather than school. It provides many questions and encourages free thought. Infant classes are exposed to lots of pretend references including Santa and the Tooth Fairy and the policy in schools is not to spoil that magical time as that is up to the parents. It would therefore be very difficult to use this book in school.*
