Christian DorionHow the World Works: A Hands-On Guide to Our Amazing Planet (Explore the Earth)

The pop-ups in this book are amazing. I think I enjoy looking at them as much as my child. I bought this for my 8-year-old as a companion reader to make her geography studies more fun this year. This book covers the whole gamut, from the Earth's interior, to volcanoes, to continents. It has little pop-ups that demonstrate how tectonic plates rub against each other (you pull the tab and the little cardboard plates hump up into mountain ranges), as well as mini-booklets showing the development of Pangaea, how day and night work, etc.One thing to be aware of (which I considered a plus) is the open-minded perspective in this book. It presents a variety of scientific theories on the origins of life - but it presents them as just that, theories. Different "ideas" that people have. Among this menu, it includes evolution, primordial ooze, meteorite amino acids, ocean floor volcanoes, etc. It even mentions how some people look to alien sources for life. In other words, it presents a menu that should prompt curiosity in your child and open a conversation for exploration. A secular parent will appreciate the evolution focus, and a religious parent will appreciate the open-ended angle that these are "common ideas" floating around our society, without weighing in on one or the other. In this sense, it values true scientific inquiry that respects that theories and hypotheses are always changing with new research and discoveries.Bear in mind that this section is only a very small sidebar that takes up about 4 inches in one of the pages. I mention it only because some parents have strong opinions on this subject. The book as a whole is amazing, and both you and your child will adore it.

One of the BEST books ever! Love this book. I used it for a unit I created for the water cycle. It was an assignment for my M.Ed., but this book is perfect for a unit/lesson with children. It really would be so captivating to read with the children. My teacher loved the book so much. He is a science teacher. He said he was going to be buying the book. It really is quite exciting to see the pop up water cycle. There is a lot of info in here that could be used throughout the school year for many different science lessons.

This is a fantastic book for kids. It has lots of information that allows you to explain how things work in relation to the earth and science. You can keep it simple for the younger kids, but really read through the material for older kids. Tells about how planets were formed, life cycle of animals and plants, effects carbon has on the eco-system and atmosphere, how it rains, earthquakes and plate tectonics, various types of storms and wind speeds, and more. I should note that if you are not someone who believes in the big bang theory or global warming, you might not fully appreciate this book. However, you could still use it as a guide to explain how some people believe this or that.

My son LOVES this book (he got it as a 5 year old) and we gave one to a 4 year old friend who called it "the best book ever!" Each page has something to do (most have multiple things) like turn a dial, pull tabs, etc.Really neat book to encourage an interest in the world around us and an understanding of the earth's processes. Based on current scientific understanding. The interactive plate tectonics part is especially cool, and it helps kids understand why some places have earthquakes and volcanoes. It's too bad K-12 and college books aren't this fun and interactive!

Nice pop-ups. Advanced for our three year old, but much more interesting to read than dr Seuss. Really tired of dr Seuss. Anyhow, the environmental message is kind of a drag. Every page has a helpful message about how we are destroying the planet. I don't disagree, but it's a bummer and heavy stuff before bedtime. I've been skipping that part for my child, (it's only about 1/8th of each page. This is how the chain of life works! Oh, and did you know humans are killing all the animals in the chain of life?) but I still read it and then it depresses me, which is not ideal for book time, you know?

Fantastic book with a plethora of great information. Fun, beautiful, informative. Great book! My only fear is for any pages becoming damaged some day. I really like this book!

The book teaches the important system and happenings that makes our world function the way it does including how humans effect it. My 5 year old daughter is still excited when I read it to her 4 months later. She loves the pop ups.I'm sure many adults could learn a great deal about why or how every day things happen. No more of the "that's just how things are". Read this book and let there be answers!

One thinks of pop up books for younger children. This is a science pop up with factual information and pop up demonstrations. Very unique. I bought it for my 8 1/2 year old grandson because of course at this age he is fascinated with science but the pop up displays and pull outs make the information more real.