When I was a little girl, my parents bought us an encyclopedia at the grocery store. You bought them one volume at a time, as I recall, they were bound in ersatz leather and they had a peculiar smell to them that I carry to this day. I spent a great deal of time as a child, huddled up in my room with a flashlight reading up on the world's great mysteries, one alphabet letter at at time.
Cover art from What on Earth Evolved - 100 Species that Changed the World
Photo Credit: (c) 2009 Bloomsbury USA
Since becoming an adult, and, of course, working as much as I do on the Internet, I sometimes wonder if today's kids don't lose out by not having a big book of knowledge lying around the house that they can just dip into. The Internet's great, but it is awash with distractions like computer games, MySpace, and Twitter.
Recently, Bloomsbury USA sent me two retro volumes, that make me hope that there still is an audience of kids--and their parents--who might love a tasty encyclopedic book like What on Earth Happened? and What on Earth Evolved?, both written by science writer Christopher Lloyd and engagingly illustrated by Andy Forshaw.
Cover art from What on Earth Happened?
Photo credit: (c) 2008 Bloomsbury USA
What on Earth Happened? The Complete Story of the Planet, Life, and People from the Big Bang to the Present Day is a history of, well, everything, encapsulated in 400 jam-packed and colorful pages. What on Earth Evolved? 100 Species that Changed the World describes the top 100 species, from insects to dinosaurs, that Lloyd believes were the "most robust, enduring and environmentally beneficial creatures" on our planet. Big surprise: Humans are not #1.
Entertainingly written and illustrated, What on Earth Evolved and What on Earth Happened belong in the hands of as many middle schoolers as you know. Get a kid interested in science and ancient history today!
- What on Earth Evolved? 100 Species that Changed the World (full book review)
- What on Earth Happened? The Complete Story of the Planet, Life, and People from the Big Bang to the Present Day (full book Review)
- More Book Reviews
Comments
I believe when I was young are family acquired a set of Collins Encyclopedia the same way. As we grew my father acquired a used set of Britannica. He would never answer questions that could be looked up. He always said look it up and if you have problems then come to me. We had 3 dictionaries and the same thing applied. I always remember my sister saying “how can I look up a word if I can’t spell it?”
P.S. You have a great site, always something new and worth a bit of research. Thank you!