In 2020 it will be 400 years since the Mayflower transported English Puritans to the New World (America), while the Bayeux tapestry is to be loaned by the French to the British Museum for a special exhibition in 2022.

The comical yet fact-packed 128-page books will have young readers laughing as they’re learning. Each volume features bite-sized information themed around the gross and gruesome aspects of the topics covered, along with dozens of gut-busting gags and gigglesome limericks that children can share with their friends to make them groan.

The Mayflower edition will look at the hardships and discoveries of the passengers, including the very dirty conditions on board the ship, their encounters with the native Americans and turkeys when they arrived in the New World, and the unexpectedly extreme climate, which fluctuated from freezing to sweltering. The Bayeux Tapestry volume explores how the famous embroidery came to be made and what it depicts, covering fascinating details like the strange hairstyle of the Norman invaders and the kebab-type food they ate on skewers at tables made from shields, as well as the bizarre stories behind some of the mythical animals embroidered along the edges of the tapestry.

There will soon be 18 titles in the series, including the soon-to-be launched Scotland and Shakespeare. Other volumes include: Animals, Body, Christmas, Dinosaurs, Disasters, Genius, Geography, History, Kings & Queens, Mummy Mania, Revolting Records, Romans in Britain, Science and Space.

The titles are published by the Book House imprint of the Salariya Book Company and are available online and at all good bookshops for £4.99 each.

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