The How Things Work Encyclopedia is the perfect starter book for inquisitive little minds, the topics presented aren’t too heavy in detail and cover the everyday items that surround us.
Each page is color coded so that you can quickly find the area you are looking for, whether it is the section on energy or the one on technology.Included in the color coding at the bottom of each page is a question regarding the content shown above, with the answer given upside down on the bottom of the opposing page. Children are able to read the question and then refer to the information given above to find the answer, a much smarter idea than a book that has a quiz at the very end which leads to a child flipping back through an entire book.
There are also “curiosity quizzes” on the right side of some pages, which are picture clues that children have to match up in the same section, for example, page 43 has pictures of 6 items that match the information upcoming in the Gases & Liquids part. Children then search out the matching information/pictures while reading the information.
This book is also an appreciated helping hand for those of us who have children with inquisitive little minds, I was finally able to show my son how the engine in our minivan works with 4 wonderful diagrams as well as have an interesting discussion about how boats float.
Reading level: ages 7-12
Page Count: 128 pages
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley
Publisher’s synopsis:Looking at the technology all around us-and then explaining how it works, the How Things Work Encyclopedia lifts the hood of a car engine, gets inside a TV set, and discovers the power of invisible microwaves. With close-ups, cutaways, and diagrams bringing the technology to life, and timelines illustrating the development of inventions, challenging curiosity quizzes and fascinating facts, the How Things Work Encyclopedia lets children really see and understand what’s going on inside.