National Geographic Kids

My son loves these books. We started reading National Geographic Kids books when he was about six (he's nine now) and I can honestly say that these books have been instrumental in teaching him to read. His favorites are those from the "Weird, But True" series. We own the first five books in the series and have the ones not yet published on pre-order.

One weekend last spring, our son actually read one entire 300 pg. book from this series to my husband and I over the course of two days - 50 show more pg.s three times a day until he'd finished. I mention this because last year my son was sent to a reading specialist because his teacher was concerned that he was reading below his age-level. Although I was happy for him to receive the extra attention from the specialist, I always doubted that he had any real problems reading because he read the Nat'l Geo books to us constantly. Thankfully, I was right. He no longer sees the reading specialist, reads above his grade-level, and even reads out-loud to his classmates at lunchtime.

Why is this so important? Because kids are often labeled as poor readers when it's not that they can't read, but rather that they simply aren't interested in what they are being given to read. My teen-age step-daughter grew up thinking that she was a poor reader, too. That all changed when I gave her the Twilight Series. She read the last book, "Breaking Dawn," (756 pages) in less than 48 hours!

There are several elements that make the Nat'l Geo Weird, But True series so appealing, particularly to elementary aged boys. The layouts are very simple, not cluttered. Each fact is only one or two sentences long. The font is much larger than what you would find in a typical chapter book designed for this age group. And the visual images are excellent - exciting, funny, interesting - they immediately draw the reader in, curious to find out more.

As a parent, teacher, library volunteer, and chairperson of my son's Scholastic Book Fairs, all of the books in this series are ones that I have and will continue to recommend for lower elementary-aged children! show less

Everything you ever wanted to know about Science is in this book. Nothing was left out and the photography is absolutely amazing. This is National Geographic at its best....taking a subject and sharing everything possible in an easy-to-understand format for kids....and adults! The pictures will grab your attention and the tidbits of information on each page will make you want to learn more.

The book is broken up into two parts of science, Physical Science and Life Science. Physical Science show more includes sections on Matter, Forces and Machines, Energy, and Electronics. Life Science includes The Universe, Life on Earth, The Human Body, and Planet Earth. There is also a huge glossary of terms and an index of places to get more information including websites, books, and movies.

I was especially interested in the Flowering Plants section. Did you know the sunflower is made up of thousands of tiny flowers? I had no idea. The world's biggest flower is found in Indonesia and measures about three feet across but shockingly it smells like rotten meat! I think I will pass on growing that flower!

I was also extremely fascinated with the section on ancient medicine and how Leonardo's sketches of the human organs were amazingly accurate. Also, the use of everyday materials, like honey, can truly heal and something that many of us today are choosing to use rather than chemicals.

Throughout the book, there are also several experiments for the kids to try, for example, using a magnet with cereal fortified with iron or making your own magnifier.

This is a book that has everything you need for that science-loving child. There is much to learn in this book and one that can be referred to throughout upper elementary or middle school years. I'll be gifting this to our daughter's sixth-grade science teacher as I am sure it will get a lot of use there. show less

This delightful collection of facts and photographs will entertain and educate in equal measure. While ships, landforms, and history are featured, most of this book focus specifically on animals in the ocean. Each piece of trivia is short, often just a single sentence, so reading is quick, and even reluctant readers can find something of interest. There are no lengthy explanations. This is a good thing for this type of book, but there were a few entries for which I would have liked more show more information. For example, one spread features an ocean-themed bowling alley with fancy and complicated decorations, yet the book does not state the name of the alley or even the country in which it is found. Still, for the most part, this format works well. Full-color pictures enhance the experience. show less

This was fun, a collection of single-sentence facts about a variety of Christmas-related topics. Bright colors and lots of pictures make the whole reading experience pleasurable. My biggest criticism of this book is the lack of clarity: I would have wanted a bit more information for a few of their statements. Of course, I understand that they wanted to keep things down to a single sentence, but even within that framework, there were some things that could have been slightly expanded. For show more example, one fact reads thus: “An American woman set the record for the most Christmas trees chopped down in two minutes: 27.” It would have been nice if they could have worked in her name, too. But this is minor, and it only applies to a few of the facts out of the whole book. For the most part, I found the reading experience to be quite satisfying. Quirky, fun, and educational. show less