The Ultimate Book of Knowledge: Everything You Need to Know

User Review: - Ultimate Book of Knowledge
This is a good book for primary school aged children. The entries are brief and somewhat dry, focusing on relevant facts instead of interesting anecdotes. It's a good "coffee table" book for kids to flip through and maybe find something they are interested enough to pursue elsewhere. Or it would be good for a brief introduction or review of a subject, and would make an excellent reference for a book report for younger children.

For ease, breadth of subject matter, and succinctness of relevant facts, it does very well. If you're looking for an engrossing read, you probably should keep looking.

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User Review: - Not a good fit
This is a beautiful book, detailed in its illustrations. The problem I have with it, is that the information is too basic. The information might be good for younger children, though probably a bit too advanced, but the pictures are too complex. Older readers who might be attracted by the illustrations, would be left wanting by the lack of detailed information. I would not recommend this book for any age.

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User Review: - A Comprehensive Introduction
I was initially interested in this book because I have a very curious nine-year-old who is always asking me to explain scientific facts and processes. The thought of having a handy reference with basic explanations was very appealing! The Ultimate Book of Knowledge does answer that need to a degree, but I agree with many other reviewers that in its ambition to cover so many topics, it loses the depth that children of this age can handle. The material would probably be better served if each of the main topics had its own book of this length. Nonetheless, this is a thoughtful, well-illustrated volume and my fourth-grader enjoyed browsing. The fast facts and "did you know?" sections were especially appealing to him. A good addition to your library, you just might find yourself supplementing with other books on the topics your child finds of special interest.

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User Review: - From J. Kaye's Book Blog

The "Everything You Need to Know" part of the title is a bit of an overstatement, but the target age for the book is 9 - 12. There's a lot of information packed inside this book. Excluding the acknowledgments, index, and title page, there are 180 pages of facts and eye catching photos.

The topics covered are:

Our Bodies
Plants and Animals
The Earth
Planets and stars
Science and Technology
The Arts
Our Society
History
Countries

The short, easy-to-understand explanations will appease young and possibly the older trivial junkies. I personally loved it as did my twelve year old daughter and fifteen year old son.

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User Review: - Perfect for bored kids
Given the convenience of online encyclopedias, most people will stop buying full sets. A book like this can never take the place of a full set of encyclopedias, but it is a great book for browsing, thumbing through idly, and learning something you never knew. This is a great stopgap.
With a book like this, I cannot help but think of the British TV character Tom Good and his all purpose Boy's Book of Knowledge. While this tome may not allow you to become completely self sufficient, or create your own effluence generator, it certainly is a start.

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