Ask Me Everything: Facts, Stats, Lists, Records, and More (D.K. 2010, 303 pages) is a delightful smorgasbord for the information devourer. 137 questions are answered, ranging from the expected scientific side of things (Why does Saturn have rings? Which animals lived in the Ice Age?) but also moving into geography (Where is the rice bowl of Asia? Can you really ski in Dubai?), Society and Culture (Why do we have myths? When does an animal become a pet?), and History (What was the Scientific Revolution? What is globalization?).The questions are answered DK style, with double spreads full of information snippets, curious facts (with headings such as "I don't believe it!), and lots of pictures. Obviously, double page spreads, packed as full as only DK packs 'em, still aren't going to be enough to cover these complex topics entirely. But it's a great book to dip into repeatedly; a book that might well whet the appetite for more.
It's not so great to read aloud to two young boys--they will (in my experience) each try to pull the book of their (long-suffering) mother's lap so they can look more closely at the fascinating pictures....or, in trying to look more closely at the pictures (many of which are quite small) they will block their mother's view of the words. It's much more a book to leave lying around (we have mastered this technique in our house), luring them back to graze repeatedly.
The Non-Fiction Monday Round-up is at In Need of Chocolate today!
(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)
Oh man, I always tell parents to buy a book like this just so that it's around the house when they're in between things to read... but not 'til the kids are reading themselves! You're right, it's frustrating if you have to read it out loud!
ReplyDeleteMy only other beef with these DK titles is the crappy binding - and that's why I WON'T buy them for the school libraries. I end up replacing them every year!
I remember DK books, in fact I've purchased them for my daughter. Funny enough, she's taken the opportunity to read some of the books in my library, such as Andria Corso's From Gatekeeper to Trusted Advisor. I guess the DK books have done something to pique her interest.
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