Everything You Need to Know about the World by Simon Eliot

The best educational books are fun to read as well. The beauty of this book and what differentiates it from its competitors is the way in which it is written. Facts are presented like a kid would talk to you. Complete with slang and the use of commonly said words (which politically correct publishers usually change fearing some moral extremist may consider them swear words and be offended). These things are why this great book works so well and a format which I dare say will be copied a lot in the future. This book can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Inside you'll learn about a wide range of topics from explorers, science, what ingredients make up different junk foods, classic novels, the human body, who invented stuff, to the wind and other natural phenomena. Other light read entertaining books that teach you stuff too are Dr Karl Kruszelnicki's Great Mythconceptions: The Science Behind the Myths, Q & A with Dr. K, Pigeon Poo, the Universe & Car Paint: And Other Awesome Science Moments and the rest of his books. Do Blue Bedsheets Bring Babies?: The Truth Behind Old Wives' Tales, Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini, Shocking Science, So Gross (Over 100 Gross-Worthy Facts) are other great places to start.

First off, this is a very hard book to categorize. Although non-fiction, this reference, encyclopedic, laugh-out-loud factual tome by the fictional Simon Eliot is instructional and funny - a feat not often accomplished! But if you're looking for obscure facts, outrageous data, and important info to make you look a whole lot smarter than you may actually be, then this is definitely the book for you! Need to know when the first wedding in a public toilet took place? Simon can tell you it happened in Taiwan in 1996. Want to know how far monarch butterflies travel each year in their migration from Canada to Mexico? The answer is 1,864. Did you know that the first lawnmower was invented in 1830? It's true, and it's actually on display at the British Lawnmower Museum in Lancashire, UK. These are only a few of the fun and outrageous facts you'll discover while reading EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD BY SIMON ELIOT. Although there are no clearly defined categories to the book, every once in awhile you'll find a header such as "Intestinal Stuff," "Old Dudes You Need to Hear About," "Stuff to Impress Your Kid Brother and Sister With...," and "Things We Say Without Really Thinking About." This book would be a welcome addition to any home library, and kids from five to five hundred will be hard pressed to not learn something new when reading it. Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"