Some of the most desirable titles in any library collection serving children or teens are the colorful record books, gaming almanacs, and browsable titles filled with “believe-it-or-not” facts. While sometimes seen as lightweight, frivolous fare or eye candy, the genre can help students develop an understanding of measurement or draw historical comparisons, and is often the gateway to the enjoyment of other nonfiction books. Seeing the potential for teaching inquiry with almanacs, Anne Hegel, a library media specialist in Cazenovia, New York, suggests offering elementary students a bubble graphic organizer to gather facts on creatures, stunts, or record breakers deemed the most dangerous, gross, humorous, or are just plain “Yikes!” to share in a lively compare-and-contrast lesson. Students of all ages could also be charged to identify facts that show attribution, or raise more questions. While sifting and searching through the high-density, high-interest information, students are making connections, visualizing, and inferring. So, indulge your sweet tooth on these latest titles.
No Way!
ARLON, Penelope. The Ultimate Book of Randomly Awesome Facts. 144p. Scholastic, 2015. Paperback $8.99. ISBN 978-0-545-82626-6.
Gr 3-7–Scores of numbered lists such as, “6 cool – and seriously important – numbers,” or “5 effects of g-force,” are instant attention grabbers for elementary and middle school science and math fans. Fun quizzes throughout reveal which prehistoric beast, famous scientist, or world-changing invention you are most like. The focus on science and technology is also evident in sections on deadly elements, supervehicles, and computer viruses. There may not be a detailed explanation for each assertion, but the bulleted and boxed facts are indexed, and intriguing enough to prompt further inquiry. The thin, magazine-sized paperback is flip-friendly, for checking quiz answers or consulting the index in the back of the book.
MILLS, Andrea. Strange But True! 192p. DK, 2015. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-465-43911-6.
Gr 3-7–Geysers, glaciers, and sinkholes are among nature’s fascinating phenomena featured in this collection of double-paged entries. Vivid photographs steal the show and fast facts will pique student interest in the world’s marvels. Dozens more topics, such as the anthropological wonders of geoglyphs, underground cities, and China’s terracotta army are shown in spreads for up-close inspection. Celebrations such as Spain’s annual tomato festival that features a food fight, and tribesmen who dangle from cliffs to hunt honey, are stories that offer a glimpse into little-known practices in other cultures. Dates, numbers, and amounts are included in the quantifying information, but the publisher’s strong suit is its stellar photography, so evident here. A comprehensive index allows easy access to specific topics and place names.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Eye-popping Oddities. 256p. Ripley, 2015. Tr $28.95. ISBN 978-1-60991-136-2.
Gr 5 Up–The more bizarre, the better, in this long-standing annual of daredevil feats, pop culture frivolity, and human (or nature) anomalies. Ten lengthy sections of authenticated curiosities contain colorful photos of tattooed eyeballs, five-legged pets, and cooking with roadkill, which will elicit an “ewwww, gross!” from readers. Fun photos, such as a furry Fiat (car covered in human hair) and sardine-can dioramas, are part of a section on unusual art. Short titled paragraphs, and color-blocked mini-features, describe unusual tidbits from around the world (child snake charmers, wacky weddings, for example), or updates from previous editions. A thumb index guides readers through sections, and a complete index facilitates a quick return to a favorite page.
But Why?
BOYER, Crispin. Why? Over 1,111 Answers to Everything. 224p. National Geographic Kids, 2015. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4263-2096-5.
Gr 3-7–Middle graders have an innate curiosity about their body, the universe, history, and the modern world, and this title provides brief but informative answers as a jump-start to further exploration. “Why do I get zits?” and “What would happen if the earth stopped spinning?” may be on some minds, whereas others may be pondering how the pyramids were built, or why we don’t have flying cars, yet. Questions appear with a photo, illustration, or infogram box highlighted in color blocks, allowing readers to skip to questions of interest. Thumb tabs may be flipped to view chapter headings, and an easy-to-use index can locate specific topics for inquiring minds.
Quiz Whiz 5: 1,000 Super Fun Mind-Bending Totally Awesome Trivia Questions. 176p. National Geographic Kids, 2015. Paperback $9.99. ISBN 978-14263-1907-5.
Gr 3-7–Filled with a variety of quizzes, the book offers young scholars an opportunity to test their knowledge about animals, nature, history, science, math, and pop culture topics. Thematic questions (famous leaders, cats, movies, for example) may be true/false, multiple choice, or fill-in-the-blank, and are presented on appealing spreads amid photos, maps, or other context clues. Answers are located in the back of the volume, with a sentence of explanation, but the questions are so engaging that readers will not mind flipping back and forth to see if their answers are correct. A page for a “grand tally” rates test takers in a range from “scratch start” to “whiz of the quiz.”
National Geographic Kids Almanac 2016. 352p. National Geographic Kids, 2015. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-1-4263-1922-8.
Gr 3-7–More general in focus, this title boasts it is “Everything you always wanted to know about everything!” Color-coded sections for history, geography, culture, nature, science, and more, deliver a mix of engaging facts, vivid photos, quizzes, topic questions & answers (What happened to Amelia Earhart?), crafts, jokes, and games. This title resembles a traditional almanac in some ways, such as the collection of physical maps, state and presidential profiles, sky calendar, and world celebrations. Amid content sections are homework helps, such suggest ways to “write a letter that gets results,” and “how to research like a pro.” A complete index uses bold type for main entries.
Top This!
FURGANG, Kathy & Sarah Wassner. Animal Records. 208p. National Geographic Kids, 2015. Paperback $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4263-1873-3.
Gr 2-6–Targeting elementary students, this title uses “By the Numbers” comparisons in fun groupings, such as showing photos of animals that are “born itty-bitty,” and an item that is equal in size to the animal at birth (panda bear = a stick of butter, and a kangaroo = a jelly bean), an exercise that students can replicate with their own comparisons. “Case Studies” single out the cheetah, for example, to highlight physical features that contribute to its strength and speed. “Fun and Games” pages allow readers to guess animals by their teeth, or to search and find animals camouflaged in their habitat. National Geographic’s vivid color photos are the main attraction of this work, and a complete index adds inquiry value to the captivating reference.
Guinness World Records 2016. 255p. Guinness World Records, 2015. Tr $28.95. ISBN 978-1-910561-02-7.
Gr 5 Up–Each year, mere mortals attempt to break records in front of Guinness adjudicators for inclusion into this iconic reference book, or to be featured online or on television. Beyond the interactive nature and amateur participation in many categories, familiar records, such as oldest, tallest, smallest human, and amazing animals, and professional (or Olympic) sports feats remain the same. Smaller color photos and reduced font allow for the inclusion of a broadening wealth of information in the areas of videogames, music, extreme sports, and the modern world. The significantly more content in this edition about engineering and technology innovations will appeal to budding scientists. Infograms allow quantifying data at a glance, and a well cross-referenced index supplement a color-coded thumb guide.
MORSE, Jenifer Corr. Scholastic Book of World Records 2016 Special Edition: Epic Wins and Fails. 320p. Scholastic, 2015. Paperback $10.99. ISBN 978-0-545-82623-5.
Gr 3-7–In a twist on records books, this title features successes and blunders in science and technology, money, pop culture, nature, and sports. While each category begins with some traditional records (Mt. Everest is the largest mountain, Katy Perry has the most Twitter followers, and the like), the epic fails are all in fun and playfully subjective, such as worst movie ever, or ugliest dog. Color-coded pages guide readers through the sections where the epic fails are presented in captioned fact boxes, and epic successes are accompanied by a bar graph of comparison (Cheetahs are the fasted land animal, followed by antelope, wildebeest, and so on). A complete index is helpful in locating proper names and for quick reference.
TERRY, Paul. Top 10 for Kids: Nature. 96p. Firefly, 2015. Paperback $9.95. ISBN 978-1-77085-563-2.
Gr 2-5–From the tallest tsunamis to the most bloodthirsty carnivorous plants, this title features nature’s extremes and “Top 10” lists of longest, highest, or most amazing natural phenomenon. Five “Zones,” or chapters, cover weather, plants, landforms, habitats, and miscellaneous oddities in quantifying terms such as typhoon speeds, tree heights, record temperatures, or dollar amount of storm damage. “Team T-10” cartoon hosts add to the factual info in speech bubbles, and color photos from news stories appear with pushpins and sticky-note captions. Without an index the format favors browsing the tall glossy-page volume, and a final, fun interactive quiz tests Zone knowledge.
Game On!
Guinness World Records 2016: Gamer’s Edition. GWR, 2015. 215p. Paperback $14.99 ISBN 9781910561096.
Gr 5 Up–Jam-packed with gaming graphics, fact boxes, and charts, the title will appeal to secondary readers who will pore over the trivia tucked into every corner. Record-breaking scores, technical achievements, and downloading trends are just a few topics covered in this videogaming annual. Apropos icons and color-coded pages sort out genres such as action-adventure, arcade, sports, and strategy and simulation. Extra feature sections include how-to be a recordbreaker, a look back at favorites such as Mario, the evolution of controllers, and classic rivalries (Xbox vs. Playstation, for one). Indexes and appendices provide developers, glossary, games, and contributors.
TERRY, Paul. Top 10 for Kids Gaming. 96p. Firefly, 2015. Paperback $9.95. ISBN 978-1-77085-564-9.
Gr 2-5–“Parents Keep Out!” is the title page warning, but the content is age-appropriate for young fans of Mario, Pokemon, Legos, Wii Sports, and other games. Five chapters, or “Zones,” cover platforms, characters and worlds, biggest games, genre toppers, and movie connections. Top 10 charts on nearly every page rank top sellers, platform favorites, game-based television shows and movies, and popular characters. Colorful graphics and photos or familiar games and characters fill up the tall volume. A thumb index helps readers navigate the Zones and interactive quizzes test gaming knowledge. Other topics in the “Top Ten for Kids” series include Pets, Deadly Animals, and Awesome Earth.
Game On! 2016: All the Best Games, Amazing Facts, Awesome Secrets. 223p. Scholastic, 2015. Paperback $14.99. ISBN 978-0-545-85031-5.
Gr 3-7–Gaming experts weigh in on the best games for beginners, best gaming moments (finishing your first house in Minecraft, for one), stunning visuals, best hardware, epic rivalries, and many more engaging categories. The game illustrations are attention grabbers, and the double-page entries allow for large and small images, a short narrative, fun facts, and contributor commentary. Guests may, for example, provide insider information on the strengths and challenges of individual games, which villains are most formidable, what it’s like to compose a soundtrack for games, or how to become a YouTube star.