Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Planet Earth and Universe Favorites

Kids of all ages love books about world records, planets and stars, and amazing animal facts. Books like these are often put in a category called non-fiction, a strange name, which sounds boring, vaguely negative, and generally meaningless. This is odd, because the following books are actually dynamic, interactive, and addictive to read; and we have many more that have similarly exciting formats. See what you think...


Ultimate Interactive Atlas of Space by Robin Scagell

The title says it all. This cleverly designed and excitingly visual tour of our solar system will provide hours of learning and fun for your young astronomer. It is filled with remarkable illustrations and NASA photos that will take your breath away with their beauty. Each topic has interactive features - pop-ups, pull-outs, sliders, and flaps - to capture and hold your child's attention. This title will be under the Christmas tree for my seven year old grandson. I know he and his dad are going to love it! Ages 7 and up. - Joanne Kennedy



The Ultimate Interactive Atlas of the World by Elaine Jackson

This atlas will take your child on an exciting tour of the world, continent by continent. Each section is filled with facts, illustrations and photos to teach and entertain. The interactive features - flaps, pull-outs, and sliders - give your child a hands-on adventure in learning. We live in a small world which is becoming more interconnected every day; this atlas will give your child an understanding of and appreciation for this wonderful planet in all its diversity. For ages 7 and up. - Joanne Kennedy




Zany Miscellany: A Mixed-Up Encyclopedia of Fun Facts! by Tom Jackson

This crazy book has snippets of information about anything under the sun. You might find whales, minarets, cable cars and latitude all explained on the same page, and who knows what on the next page. It isn't linear learning, but it is fun especially because of all of the extras like Flop Ten lists of mistakes, question marks that lead you to answers, seesaw boxes telling how things have changed, wanted posters of notorious people through the ages, goof-a-thons describing accidental inventions, strange factoids, and wormholes that lead to related information if you want to know more. It's a nutty kind of encyclopedia, but likely to get read more thoroughly than the dusty volumes on your shelf. Great for curious minds ages 8-12.

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