Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources encylopedic-knowledge type books for DS5

DD enjoyed The Crazy World of What If by Steve Parker--it's not at a very high level, but it asks some fun hypotheticals and explains the science behind the answers. Although I guess it is a little scattershot, but DD liked that. A higher level book that she also enjoyed is Science Explained by Colin Ronan (that I think I maybe heard about here--so thanks to whoever recommended it in the first place!). Both are available on Amazon.

Okay, wack me with a wet noodle but I do recommend Take Me Back: A Trip Through History and One Million Things: A Visual Encyclopedia. These two books are very thick volumes so may be somewhat different from the little thin kiddie books you usually see in the kids' section. I am not sure what the reading levels are but maybe 5th grade level but there are lots of graphics.

I also recall some books from the Brainwaves series that were interesting. The Guiness Books of World Records are always a favorite. There are also versions by Scholastic that DS really liked from an early age.

"Go Figure" and "Why Pi" by Johnny Ball are excellent math books that DS fell in love with at about that age. And he has always loved the "Pocket Ref" book that is just jam-packed with everything you could possibly need to look up in the way of facts and figures and statistics and instructions and measurements.

A little more info: I have talked with DS and he is less interested in history, math, and machines and a lot more interested in everything science. To give context, the book he loves is thick--probably 250 pages, but he has read/skimmed most of it, though I'm sure he skipped some parts that didn't interest him.

Hi UM
I think you got some good recommendations here - especially if DK is not an option. But curious, I just went through DS library, everything that isn't brainwaves, DK, Usbourne, MacCaulay or Horrible Science is subject specific. I would recommend moving to the subject section of the library and get picture books - the next levels up from the magic school bus books. There are also the Ology books, those are sort of science and fantasy combined. THe Oceanology one was quite nice.

DeHe

We have exhausted the ocean nonfiction section. I have not seen many of the ones listed so we will definitely check them out. Just was being a bit more specific about his interest--apparently he would like more of a science encyclopedia type of thing.

ok, I admit, One Million Things looks pretty good and actually quite simialr to the book he likes.