The
National Geographic people have come to the rescue of parents of children
who are of enquiring minds. Whilst the internet is the source of much
material, in many instances, the veracity is not checked before the
information is uploaded, and children seem to believe that anything that can
be ‘googled’ must be true. Which we adults know is not true!
With the Kids Almanac 2011 (ISBN
978-1-4263-0630-3, National Geographic Society, 2010), at least the
information has been checked by National Geographic, so the kids might have
something reliable to draw upon. Not that the internet is ignored: in the
table of contents, the young reader is advised that “Zipper, the dog, alerts
you to cool clicks - Web links that will help you find out more.”
Despite all the enthusiasm that the world in general has
for the internet, it is, in my opinion, neither accurate nor fast. I can
find information quicker by opening a book such as this almanac than I can
by dialing up the internet, getting on to Mr. Google and then scrolling
through the indicated pages of choices. A book gives me the definitive
information first time. (Or am I showing my age?)
The contents of this almanac are quite comprehensive.
Super Science for example covers inventions, space, the human body and
health and happiness. Other chapters include Adventure, History, Culture,
Nature and even a peek into the future. Each chapter features a section
called “Homework help” and the child reader is given suitable projects to
complete and, for example, the one at the end of the Geography section
explains latitude and longitude very simply and very precisely.
If there is a fault with this book, it is too American,
and as the almanac itself demonstrates, the world is made up of many
countries, but America gets more than its fair share, in my opinion, with
even the US First Ladies getting a couple of pages.
The Future World heralds life in 2035 and most of it was
very believable. Your house is programmed to turn on your favourite music
when you come home, while robotic creatures keep the house clean and cook
your dinner, after shopping via the internet for the ingredients. Even
Honda’s Asimo gets a mention in this section, almost as a bridge between
today and tomorrow, being the most advanced ‘humanoid’ available - if you
have a spare million dollars.
The promise on the back cover is: “The National
Geographic Kids Almanac 2011 is packed with weird-but-true facts and
fascinating information about the world and everything in it. Have fun and
get even smarter at the same time!”
At B. 450 on the Bookazine shelves, it is a cheap
reference book for children of probably around ten years old and upwards. It
is illustrated in a way that children will relate to, and there are many
pictures on every page. It is also a book that will have the parents dipping
into it, and I suggest you familiarize yourself with what is between the
covers before you present it to your offspring! Dad can get ‘smarter’ in his
old age!
