Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing Is Believing

I bought this book for my 8-year-old daughter, and it was a HUGE hit! My daughter can't put it down. The book is really fascinating, and my daughter enjoys sharing it with us and with her friends. I also bought copies for my nephews (ages 7 and 9) and they love it too!

This is one of those books you really cannot find fault with. What's not to love, with it's small paragraphs full of shocking, sometimes grotesque, facts about people who've done strange and unusual things, with pictures! There are thousands to pick from, but some of my favorite tidbits are the Japanese artists who carves really detailed art into watermelons, and the dental tech who draws small portraits of famous people, on teeth. One of the more shocking facts, at least in my mind, is about a guy who tattooed his eyeball. I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. And I got a feeling of accomplishment after finishing it. Maybe I even felt a little wiser. It's a perfect gift for adults and kids.

I have been a fan of Ripley's Believe It or Not! since i was a kid over 60 years ago. While we lost Ripley himself,all too many years ago;Ripley Entertainment has carried on with Ripley's dream of searching the world and bringing the totally unbelievable to all of us. My large collection of BION books continues to grow,and I am always excited to find a new one being published. The quailiy of the construction,printing,photos and illustration,continues to be as excellent as possible.Also, the things that the editors continue to bring to us keep getting better with every new book,and this one is no exception. I have written reviews on several of the latest books,and like to talk about something different in each review. With the whole world available to look fo things to include in these books,I have noticed a lot come from Canada. The words exotic,strange,weird,amazing,etc. do not immediately come to mind when the country of Canada comes up.Quite to the contrary,Canada is about as conservative ,bland,and about as far from exotic as any country on the face of the earth, at least that is how we see ourselves ,our customs and country. Just for fun,as I went though this book I jotted down the number of times that things talked about were from Canada.I was literally shocked!! Believe It or Not!,It here were 58 of them--and Believe It or Not!,I had never heard of any of them before.Maybe another time I'll count how many things are mentioned in one of these books;it must a lot.I just made an estimate for this book using the index.There are 48 colums with about 95 items in each column --that would be about 4,560 items--Believe It or Not!.The book if loaded with hundreds of photos,again all of excellent quality.I can only imagine what a difficult task it must have been to decide what things to accompany with a photo and what had to do without. While I was overwhelmed with the photos there were two items I would have dearly liked to have seen photos for;those being the Maize Maze on page 190 and The Hidden Talent item on page 202.---maybe I can find some on the Net. Each new book comes up with new features to give more information to the reader;for example [...],Ripley's Ask,Ripley's Update, and lists such as Way to go! and Ancient Festivals on page 66. The hardest thing about this book is that it is researched,and published at a cost that is so reasonable or as one has to say; Believe It or Not!. If Ripley's Entertainment keeps publishing these wonderful books;I'll keep buying them.

(Reviewed by 15-year-old) Are you ready for thrills beyond the norm? Some say seeing is believing, and they're right! The newest book in the Ripley's Believe It or Not series is Seeing Is Believing and the title speaks for itself. The renowned series began with Robert Ripley, a very interesting character. Ripley began his career as an illustrator for Life Magazine, selling his first drawing for eight dollars. Soon afterward, he began illustrating for the San Francisco Bulletin. Ripley next pursued his dream of becoming a baseball player, and was offered a spot with the New York Giants. Unfortunately, during the first game, he broke his arm, ending his baseball career. In 1918, after returning to illustrating, he made a set of nine sketches about various athletes performing odd stunts called Champs and Chumps. He was dissatisfied with the title, and renamed it Believe It or Not. The title caught the attention of the public and soon the popular series was born and selling out in stores nationwide. From a kitten with two faces, to a lion on a wild horseback ride, the newest book in the Believe It or Not series is great for all ages. Sure to please everyone with many interesting and peculiar stories such as racing hamsters, a rocket-propelled sled, and even a surfing rat. Spanning the globe, this book reveals unknown events, places and inventions ranging from nano noodles not visible to the naked eye, chocolate wrestling matches in Budapest, Hungary to the town of Gilchrist, TX, where hurricane Ike demolished everything in it's wake with the exception of one home, lying untouched among the debris. This book features high-quality pictures and smooth glossy pages. It is not heavy, despite the look. Hard covered with a holographic eye on the front, it accommodates over 240 pages of fun. Whether you fancy houses built upside down, eggs 100 feet wide or a flea with shoes, this book is for you! Pre-teens to young adults will find this book fascinating. Younger children, however, may find the text a bit difficult but will certainly be eager to look at all the bizarre and unusual pictures. It would therefore be a good book for them to read along with their parents. Quill says: The cover of this book will grab your attention, and the bizarre and interesting stories inside will have you reading for hours on end.