One of the most special books I have seen recently is from the Pop-Up category. This is identified as “A hands-on guide to our amazing planet.” The book is loosely based on a series of questions young readers might ask. For example the first question is “What on earth happened?”And answers “astronomers think that 13.7 billion years ago the whole universe emerged from a tiny invisible dot.” (The Big Bang Theory) This leads to information about the planets, the sun, asteroids and comets.
No matter where one goes today there is talk about going green. Kids as well as adult are bombarded with frightening images of what is in store for our world if we do not immediately take action. Many naysayers are also working hard to distract attention from this problem telling people there is no problem. Educating the very young seems to me one way to get the world’s attention on this problem. EARTH FEELING THE HEAT by Brenda Z Guiberson, illustrated by Chao Wallace, (Henry Holt and Company, 2010, $16.99) does draw young readers attention to the problem the planet is facing.
Books come in all sizes and lengths! And the book for all the little wiggly nerds is here. I absolutely guarantee they will be totally enchanted, enthralled, amused and educated by Bill Bryson’s A REALLY SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING (Delacorte Press, 2009, $19.99). This oversized 169 paged volume immediately piques the interest of a young reader by opening, “This is a book about how IT happened– in particular, how we went from there being nothing at all to there being something.”
A non-fiction book for all ages is the Update of the 1962 book, LIFE STORY by Virginia Lee Burton (Houghton Mifflin, 1962, copyright renewed 1990, 2009. $22.00). For almost a half century this book has been informing and amazing readers of all ages, Ms Burton in a very direct almost simplistic style explains the history of planet earth.