How the World Works: A Hands-On Guide to Our Amazing Planet

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.

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!

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!

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.

This book is very informative and beautifully illustrated. However, it is not creation friendly. It teaches the big bang and evolution in detail, although it does point out that "nobody knows for sure." I homeschool and although we believe and teach our children creation, I think this will be a great learning tool to teach them about these theories. Aside from that, my kids love books like this and enjoy reading it and playing with all of the interactive flaps and dials. The pop up pages are adorable.

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.

I purchased this book for my 5-year-old thinking he would like all the pop-up features and he does, but unfortunately, it is a little over his head. I definitely would suggest getting this book but would suggest you purchase it for your 2nd or 3rd grader. Enjoy!

My five-year-old is eating this up. I think it's absolutely genius that young minds are exposed to not only how things work in the physical world, but are also presented with the human-caused problems facing us today within each context. Because of our collective reluctance to act on many of the issues presented, I see these as springboards for young minds to solve these issues in their lifetime. My son is already full of ideas to fix things (which, from a five year-old, can be anything from absolutely hilarious, to downright inspiring), and problem-solving is a lifelong skill that is priceless.

Es muy educativo, pero los popups de otros libros son mejores y se mueven más.

Instead of a pop-up book, it is truly like a book for child reading. There are 8 pages shown different earth natural phenomenon using a lot of pull paper-engineering and some pop-ups. The color is very beautiful with appropriate descriptions, suitable for parents playing with childs.

Unbelievably terrific. Ideal to read with a child, and talk about. You have to see it to appreciate the art, layout, writing and, yes, the multiple clever pop-ups. The pop-ups are more about educating than entertaining, although the volcano is explosive.

Absolutely amazing book that includes information for kids from school curriculum. Fun lift the flaps and paper moving parts. One of my favourite books. We got it second hand for £7 via Amazon but it worth paying full price. Good for 4 year olds and up. It's all paper pages (not cardboard) inside and younger kids may damage it easily. Would make a great present.

I saw it in Natural History museum first, and my 9 year old daughter realy wanted it. So a bit later on I bought it cheaper on Amazon and she was realy happy. Six months later it's well forgoten. There are moving parts on every page - they are very entertaining even for a parent. It also teaches children in a nice way how to be green