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External features

This collection offers books, activities, units of work for exploring the external features of living things, such as plants and animals, including humans.
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  • Plants Can’t Sit Still

    Plants Can’t Sit Still

    Written by Rebecca Hirsh
    Illustrated by Mia Posada
    Published by Millbrook Picture Books
    Theme/topic: Basic needs and External features
    Suggested learning area: AC9S1U01 (Science – Year 1) AC9SFU01 (Science – Foundation)

    Plants Can’t Sit Still is a fascinating and poetic exploration of the many ways plants move, grow, and respond to their environment. Through engaging text and vivid illustrations, the book challenges the common perception that plants are motionless, showcasing how they creep, climb, curl, and reach toward the sun. It helps young readers observe and understand the external features of plants and how they help them survive (AC9SFU01 – Foundation Year, Science). The book also supports learning about how plants, like other living things, have basic needs, such as water, sunshine, and room to grow (AC9S1U01 – Year 1, Science). With its dynamic storytelling and rich scientific concepts, Plants Can’t Sit Still encourages curiosity about the natural world and inspires children to observe plants in action.

  • Here are My Hands

    Here are My Hands

    Written by Bill Martin and John Archambault
    Illustrated by Ted Rand
    Published by Square Fish
    Theme/topic: External features
    Suggested learning area: AC9SFU01 (Science – Foundation)

    Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin and John Archambault is a rhythmic and engaging picture book that celebrates the different parts of the human body and their functions. Through simple, repetitive text and vibrant illustrations, young readers are encouraged to recognise their own external features and explore their purposes, such as hands for clapping, feet for running, and eyes for seeing (AC9SFU01 – Foundation Year, Science).

    This book fosters body awareness, supports early language development, and provides opportunities for interactive learning, making it a wonderful resource for exploring how our bodies help us engage with the world around us.

  • I See a Kookaburra!

    I See a Kookaburra!

    Written by Steve Jenkins
    Illustrated by Robin Page
    Published by Houghton Mifflin Children
    Theme/topic: External features and Habitats
    Suggested learning area: AC9S1U01 (Science – Year 1) AC9SFU01 (Science – Foundation)

    I See a Kookaburra! by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page is an engaging exploration of animal habitats around the world. Through detailed illustrations and informative text, children are invited to observe and identify different animals in their natural environments, from the Australian bush to the desert and jungle around the world.

    This book supports young learners in recognising that living things have different external features and needs that help them survive (AC9SFU01 – Foundation Year, Science). It also encourages children to explore how different places provide the resources animals need to live and grow (AC9S1U01 – Year 1, Science).

    With its interactive “seek-and-find” style and rich factual content, I See a Kookaburra! fosters curiosity and a deeper understanding of biodiversity and ecosystems.