View source for Discover the Awesome World by Camilla de la Bedoyere, John Farndon, Ian Graham, Richard Platt and Philip Steele

{{infobox
|title=Discover the Awesome World
|author=Camilla de la Bedoyere, John Farndon, Ian Graham, Richard Platt and Philip Steele
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=A look at some core subjects in an entirely new and refreshing way.  Kids are going to read this because they love it - and learn whilst they do so.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=224
|publisher=Miles Kelly
|date=August 2012
|isbn=978-1848108554
|website=
|video=
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848108559</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1848108559</amazonus>
}}

Back in 2011 I was impressed by [[Discover the Extreme World by Camilla de la Bedoyere, Clive Gifford, John Farndon, Steve Parker, Stewart Ross and Philip Steele]].  I said that In my day it would have been called an encyclopaedia. It would have had a lot more text, been rather dull – and remained largely unread by those who received it as a worthy present, but with that book you needed to start at the opposite end of the scale. It's about visual impact. A fact is linked to a picture and the more striking the better – and only then is it explained. The text is as simple as possible – clear, unambiguous wording which drives the point home as quickly as possible. The layout encourages you to move the book so that you see the pictures better and can read the words. It's fun and (say it quietly) it's educational. Now I'm not in the habit of recycling reviews (honest!) but sometimes you know that you can't say it any better as exactly the same comments apply to Discover the Awesome World.

The subjects are divided into six sections - Earth's Wonders, Amazing Nature, Body Science, Speed Machines, Thrill Seekers and Unearth History.  They're pretty self-explanatory - and within each section there's a load of information.  Initially I thought that there wouldn't be a lot of depth to the entries but I was quite surprised when I looked more closely - the double-page spread on ''Cellular Cosmos'' goes as far as detailing all nine parts of the anatomy of a cell.  It's a better-than-basic introduction to a lot of subjects.

I was also surprised at the breadth of coverage with no obvious gaps as I found in ''Discover the Extreme World''.  Some considerable thought and skill has gone into this book and it brings the sort of excitement which encourages children to read outward of their own accord.  Do be aware though that - once you give this book to a child - you are going to be bombarded with sentences which begin ''just listen to this...''

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

Children who appreciate this type of book might also enjoy [[Ripley's Believe It or Not 2013 by Robert Leroy Ripley|Ripley's Believe It or Not]].

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[[Category:Camilla de la Bedoyere]]
[[Category:John Farndon]]
[[Category:Ian Graham]]
[[Category:Richard Platt]]
[[Category:Philip Steele]]
[[Category:Animals and Wildlife]]