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Fun with info bytes The World Almanac for
Kids 2005
The tid-bits of facts, more or less arranged in an alphabetic order, cover an array of subjects of interest to the young. After briefly presenting the faces and places that have been in the news, the almanac takes you to the world of animals, art, birthdays, books, computers, games, holidays, homework help, movies, museums, nations, numbers, space, travel, weather and world history besides touching upon a host of other topics. The section on animals is both informative and absorbing but the photographs of animals shown are those with which most youngsters are familiar like polar bear, camel and hippopotamus. What the komodo dragon, purple frog or the Japanese giant salamander look like is, regrettably, not shown. As this is the Indian edition of the original North American edition, there are not only traces of American spellings like ‘meter’ and measurements like pounds and miles but the information too is US-tilted. For instance, the best new books of the year are those chosen by the American Library Association and there’s mention of "what is now in US landfills"; "where does the US energy come from"; and the breakdown of fatty and lower-fat foods speaks of tuna fish, pretzels, tuna canned in oil, etc There’s however a complete chapter devoted to India, which contains the basics about the Constitution, Fundamental Rights, legislature, etc. The part on the amendments to the Constitution, however, reads a tad too heavy for kids. But there is no dearth of material on India — be it on its classical music, art, languages, writers, religions, festivals or mythology. To add spice to the printed details, the handbook is strewn with puzzles, quizzes, crosswords and games. For those interested in gleaning more on a particular topic, the manual offers Internet sites that could be visited. For instance, you could log on to www.epa.gov/students to learn more about the environment and to try out more puzzles, you could visit www.worldalmanacforkids.com. The spread offers a
variety: stimulating frivolities like meaning of different smileys and
fun card games are mingled with serious stuff on global warming and
biodiversity. The 12-page index in the end should facilitate search for
specifics in a manual that is as loaded with colour as it is with info
bytes. |
At first glance, it is
just a riot of colour. The eyes need to get comfortable with the loud
reds, oranges and blues screaming out of the pages before they can focus
on the matter in hand.