encyclopedia

DK First Encyclopedia
$16.99
I read this book to my daughter when she was 7, before she could really read herself. More accurately, we went through this book together, looking at the many excellent photos as I explained the diverse range of topics in some depth, thus going well beyond the actual text in the book. I think that's the best use of the book, although children reading it on their own should still enjoy it and benefit from it.

I did spot a few minor errors in the book, which I was able to correct, and I used these errors to demonstrate to my daughter that one shouldn't automatically believe everything written in books. Nevertheless, I can still recommend this book for children about 4 to 8 years old, especially since there aren't many competing books which cover this range of topics at this level with photos of this quality.

We've now moved on to One Million Things: A Visual Encyclopedia, also published DK, which likewise has excellent photos but is a much larger and more detailed children's encyclopedia. So far, it's looking very promising.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
$59.95
excellent value; easy to understand explanations; i will buy this again when it undergoes another revision.
the illustrations are very good--including the color rendition.
excellent reference to have on hand for the home-schooler!

Encyclopedia of Immaturity (Klutz)
$19.95
This book has been sitting on the table ever since it was opened as a birthday present. Anyone who comes by reads something and laughs, whether it's kids or adults. And the 30-year-olds who've read parts of it are ready to try some not-growing-up tricks!

Encyclopedia Britannica 2009 Student & Home Edition
$39.99
This software was useless to me for the following reasons:
1) It sucked the speed out of my computer and everything ran so very slow. I am a writer and cannot have my computer become useless also.
2) Could NOT use the software because it timed out before any command could be acted upon.
3) I am NOT allowed to return it to Amazon becasue they do NOT have this kind of problem listed in their reasons why I want to return it.
This could also be a review on Amazon.
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