Rated By Kids

Paperback
235 x 159mm
256 pages
ISBN 9780756658236
22 Dec 2009
Dorling Kindersley
7 - 12 years

About the book:

Bringing together the best of the DK Guides series, Everything on Earth is an absorbing survey of our planet and its wildlife, with an emphasis on the extreme-from hurricanes to coral reefs, glaciers to crocodiles. Providing just enough detail to fascinate children without confusing or overloading them, Everything on Earth supplies a solid grounding in its subject, picks out the most awe-inspiring details, and inspires readers to explore further.

To conclude our Earth Day inspired week at Rated By Kids, I want to share with you Everything on Earth. From my inital browse through it, I knew this would be another great offering from DK. The vivid pictures blew me away.

As you may have read, I've pulled together guest reviewers this week, but with Everything on Earth, I did a little experiment. My nephews (Carson, 3 1/2 yrs and Nolan, 2 1/2 years), flipped through the book looking for there favourite things (lions and trucks); fortunately there are beautiful pics of lions, but sadly, for Nolan, no trucks, lol.

Then I kind of left this book lying around at home and at work to see what others (family & freinds) thought. Everyone that picked it up and looked through it said things like, "Wow!" and "This is a very cool book!" And, you'll have to take my word on this, but these are people that all have very different interests.

It's divided into 5 sections: Earth, Weather, Oceans, Mammals, and Birds. Then it breaks down these sections into smaller, very interesting, parts. For example, under the Earth section it talks about Volcanoes, Glaciers, Global Ecosystems, etc. Or, in the Oceans section, it talks about Sandy Shores, Coral Reefs, Marine Migrations, etc. This is just a taste of what is in this book. Each section is completed with jam packed data tables and a list of websites to visit for more information.

For me, I can see that Everything on Earth would be an expansive reference for kids doing school projects. As you can see above, it's been rated for 7-12 year olds, which I think is a good rating based on the reading level. But, I'm going to personally redefine that age rating from 4 to infinity! This book has mass appeal, especially for those who watch Discovery Channel or other nature related programs. I don't count myself as one of these, but the content of this book mesmerized me. My fave parts were under the weather category showing the different types of storms, especially lightning and the crazy photo of a hurricane from a satelite (?) perspective. Do yourself a big favour and check this fantastic book out!

Happy reading!
Jackie (and a myriad of experimental subjects :-)

Book: Hardback
235 x 159mm
64 pages
ISBN 9780756655419
27 Oct 2009
Dorling Kindersley
8 - 17 years

From the Publisher:

More delightful fun with the Brainwaves. This time they blast off into space to bring the science to you - in fabulously fun--and funny--text. Stars, galaxies, black holes, nebulae, asteroids, and more are discussed in clear text, meant to engage and entertain readers of all ages.

The Greatest Intergalactic Guide to Space Ever (phew, that's quite the title!) is a fun, fact filled book. There are lots of little caricatures running around making funny comments (I'm going to assume they are the Brainwaves, though I couldn't really find the proper reference.)

We get to see everything from Planets, Stars, Galaxies, etc. to learning about astronomers and what the Earth is composed of. Cute factoids about the naming of planets, moons, comits, etc make it an easy learning/teaching tool for our kids.

My favourite part of the book was the section called "Space Spinoffs" which talks about things that were created for use in space but have been adapted into more common usages (next time you're holding a golf ball in your hand, just know there's something special about it and it's relationship to the space shuttle!)

The Greatest Intergalactic Guide to Space Ever is a cool gift for the want to be astronaut or astronomer but is also a good resource for learning more about our world and what's far beyond it.

ISBN 9780756655334
25 Aug 2009
Dorling Kindersley
10 - 17 years

From the Publisher:

The zany world of The New York Times Best Selling Pick Me Up comes to you in a fabulous paperback edition. This is no run-of-the-mill reference book. Graphic novels, blog sites, comic strips, and more present information on everything you can think of. All entries are cross-referenced to others, keeping readers engaged for hours. You won't be able to put it down!

Pick Me Up is divided into 8 sections - Science, technology, and space, Society, places, and beliefs, History, The Natural World, People who made the world, Arts, entertainment, and media, You and your body, and Planet Earth. What's cool about this book (beyond the actual information in it) is that on most pages you will find a reference to something which will link to another blurb within the book. When you  go to the next indicated page, you are off on a tangent learning some other fact that is loosely related to the first. You could easily get lost following the information associations forever! (And not in a bad way :-)

There are pictures, diagrams, puzzles, mind tricks, and more. Strange correlations like Ancient Greece's influence on chewing gum or guessing who would win a fight between Genghis Khan and Spiderman are some of things we get to learn about or ponder

Pick Me Up is a great way for kids to learn about the world we live in, in small amounts at a time, while hopefully piquing further curiousity into the topics. The format used to present the information is also very effective in maintaining a kid's attention. But you don't have to be a kid to enjoy this book; Pick Me Up is a great book for lovers of Jeopardy type shows or those (like myself) who love researching interesting tidbits to learn something new.

Happy Reading
Jackie

Publisher: DK Children

Released: September 1, 2009

Book: Hardback, 48 pages

Ages: 7 - 15 years




From Publisher:

Building bricks and books come together in this fantastic set. With more than 140 LEGO ® bricks and two minifigures, LEGO ® aficionados can build to their heart's content. The hardcover book features easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions on how to build castle or pirate models. Or, young builders can come up with their own fantasy castles or pirate lairs for the ages! Dynamic full-color photos and clear illustrations make this the perfect book-and-toy set for all LEGO ® fans. There's no end to the creative building options for young LEGO ® Brickmasters ™ everywhere!

Jacob's thoughts:

I liked how easy it was to read the instructions so I could build everything. When I made my first castle, I had so much fun building and playing with it. I really liked that you could build lots of different sets. Lego is so much fun because you can build anything you want.

Mom's thoughts:

I wish every Lego set was like this! The "cover" is actually a box that holds all the Lego pieces and lists all pieces included in the set, while the pages of the book inside contain the instruction booklets. I know we have a drawer filled with various booklets from other sets and after the first build they hardly get used again. With this Lego set, the Lego pieces & booklets are kept nice & safe. Another bonus is that the Lego pieces in the set are used to make 13 different models & 7 different scenes. Included with each scene is a little paragraph describing the scene. My son would make one model then flip the page & start the building process all over again.I'm not sure how many times he's built each scene, it really is endless fun! Currently there are only two versions (Castle and Pirate) but I am hoping to see more in the future. I would have to say this is one of my favorite toys of 2009.

Publisher: DK CHILDREN

Released: September 29, 2009

Reading level: Ages 6-8

Paperback: 32 pages

ISBN: 978-0756655273




From publisher:

DK Readers draw in young people and captivates their imagination while helping them develop and improve their reading skills. Indy's Adventures and Traps and Snares include full-color movie stills from the Indiana Jones movies. The charismatic hero and adventure theme will make these titles popular with reluctant readers. Lively age-appropriate text engages children throughout the book while developing their reading skills.

Jacob's thoughts:

I liked that this book had all the movies mixed up together. My favorite movie is #4 which is called Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. My favorite trick in the book is when Indy puts a sack of sand since he thinks it will weigh the same as the Golden Idol but it didn't. He made a big giant rock ball come down.


Mom's thoughts:

My son has been in love with Indy since the latest movie came out last year. This book was great for him as it covers all the exciting adventures Indy has been on throughout all the movies. Each page is filled with a picture from the movie. Basically, this whole book is action packed! My son loves to read but sometimes skips over words he doesn't know and I found this book was the perfect level for him. He needed a little help but only with a few words & some of the places/names (Egypt, Venice, Russians, Germans). I can see him re-reading this book many times.

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley (DK Children)

Released: 24 Nov 2009

Board book

28 pages

ISBN 9780756655440

Age: 1 - 3 years


From publisher:

My First Farm: Let's Get Working! helps kids develop first language skills by introducing them to the animals and machines on a farm. Each tabbed section focuses on a different category of farm life, from baby animals to tractors.

Mom's thoughts:

This is a great book that I think every toddler would enjoy. Each square you see on the cover represents one page: baby animals, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, chickens, more farm birds, tractors, farm vehicles, crops & foods, around the farm & noisy farm. On each page you see many 'real life' pictures with their names, as well as a question. I think the question is a great addition as it adds another level of interaction when reading the book. My son's favorite page was the tractors. He loved the animal pages and making the sounds but we have many other books with animals on them. For him, the tractors were new and really grabbed his attention.

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley (DK Children)

Released: 05 May 2008

Hardcover

144 pages

ISBN 9780756635008



From publisher:

Since his debut in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, fans have followed the adventures of learned scholar and hunky professor Indiana Jones. He is the unlikely action-hero who undertakes perilous adventures involving snakes, rats, spiders, and villains, in order to stop powerful, mystical artifacts from falling into the wrong hands. With a fourth installment underway, fans can brush up on their Indy knowledge and relive the archeologist's best--and worst--moments.

Packed with a wealth of information from all four movies--about the characters, movie story lines, ancient ruins and artifacts, the history, and the mysticism - Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide provides fans with everything they need to know about the unconventional archeologist and his world.

Jacob's thoughts:

I think Indy is cool. I wish I could be like him and go on lots of adventures. I liked looking at the pictures then reading stuff about them. I liked seeing all the movies in one book.


Mom's thoughts:

I love how almost 30 years later, Indy is still popular with the kids. I think it was thanks to Indy that my son became interested in archaelogy. As always with DK, this book is filled with amazing pictures (including the beating heart & money brains dessert from Temple of Doom *shivers*). My son carried this book around for days (and even brought it to school) looking at the pictures and talking about his favorite parts in the movies. This book provides details on everything you could imagine in the movies and is a great book for any Indy fan, young and old!