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Review - Ask Me Anything - Kim Bryan et al

This is a chunky book - 300 pages and a slightly larger format than A4. Even so, there seems a real concern that it overpromises, as it proudly proclaims on the cover 'Every fact you ever wanted to know.'

I quickly and very unscientifically elicited a few facts from children that they'd like to know and got:

What is snot made of?

What happened before the Big Bang? (okay, I cheated and asked the editor for this one)

What's the capital of China?

Who won the World Cup last time?

... now admittedly these weren't all science questions, but this is a general trivia book, not limited to science subjects. So how did Ask Me Anything fare? Snot wasn't in the index, so I checked out 'nose' and discovered a reference to 'sticky mucus' in the 'nasal cavity', but not what it's made of. There is a two page spread on the Big Bang - kudos - but not an answer to my question, nor any real suggestion that there are other theories (apart from a passing reference to Steady State). Lots of references to China, though none were articles simply on it - I couldn't find anything identifying the capital. And no article on the World Cup, or information about it.

An unfair test? I don't think so, when the book makes that claim.

The good news? It's heavily illustrated in standard, two pages per topic, Dorland Kindersley fashion. Some of these two page spreads are excellent - just the right level of information, brilliant illustrations, enough wacky stuff to keep the attention. And even though it doesn't live up to the claim on the front, it certainly has lots of content.

The bad news? From a science viewpoint, there really isn't enough in it - which is the reason it has got three stars rather than four. And I have some real doubt over how it will be used. It's just too bitty (and probably too heavy) to read through from cover to cover. But the format, with lots of random splashes of information, doesn't lend itself to reference. When I was looking for those four facts, I found it quite difficult to pin down where they would be - and that's with an adult's understanding of indexes etc. When I got to a page, say, that referenced China, it was really difficult to spot whether or not it told me where the capital was.

I think it works better at a high level - if, for instance you were doing a project on countries, then it would work quite well - but not at the level of a trivia reference, which is how it is being described. Mixed feelings, then, overall.

Only in hardback

Reviewed by Jo Reed

* Our age range recommendation is an estimated guide, but individual readers outside the range could still enjoy the book!

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