More than sixty years ago my grandparents bought me an encylopedia: it was a major purchase for them as they didn't really ''do'' books, but it was a treasure trove for me and I still have it today. It didn't just teach me facts - it taught me how to find out information for myself and how to use an index. It opened my eyes to subjects I'd never considered and widened my knowledge on those I already loved. In format, in size and content it was very similar to ''DK Children's Encyclopedia'' and I can imagine a younger me hunched over it and begging just to be allowed to finish this bit before I went to bed.
It's a Dorling Kindersley book so production values are high. This is a substantial hardback which will stand a lot of use - and it has its own, equally substantial slip case to provide some extra protection. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
Slightly younger children will get a lot out of [[My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things by DK]]. You could also shelve it next to [[13½ Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything by DK]]. You might like to have a look at [[Lots by Marc Martin]], although we wondered if it was too random to be useful.