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These books, guides, and cards offer interesting trivia and facts, engaging formats, and lively illustrations; a perfect combination to pique interest for hours of casual reading, followed by days of reciting trivia, and hopefully, years of knowledge about these important people in American history.

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Toot! Toot! That's me tooting my horn. For the past year I've been researching and writing the 192-page Big Book of What? for the folks at Time for Kids. It came out this month and is available at Amazon as well as local bookstores.

The book, number three in a series, is divided into 12 chapters and covers a wide range of topics, including Animals, Space, Holidays and Festivals, Inventions, and Sports. It answers questions such as:

What is Skara Brae?
What is zorbing?
What is an orrery?
What is the body's strongest muscle?
What are some foods invented by accident?

Also included are activities and experiments designed and tested by yours truly. Kids can Make a Boomerang, Create a Solar Eclipse, Make Smoothie Pops, Make a Mancala Board, and more.

I had a lot of fun working on this book and hope kids will enjoy reading it. So far, it's garnered a five-star review on Amazon. A parent writes:

The true test of a book at our house is how my children receive it. My oldest son, 7, took the book around with him every where for a good week reading aloud from its pages. We learned about holidays in different countries, what an adam's apple is, and customs around the world. Then I found him making paper boomerangs from instructions within and eventually he even cooked up some pudding pops all on his own.. The Big Book of What kept him highly entertained with full page photos and how-to's. I would recommend it for children ages 6-12 and give it a full five stars for making a reluctant reader one happy camper!

Reviews like that make this writer a happy camper!

Time for Kids: Big Book of What?
by Catherine Nichols
Time Home Entertainment, 192 pages
Published: June 2012

Nonfiction Monday is hosted this week at Capstone Connect.

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Today we bring you our weekly sampler of cool youth media and marketing gigs. If your company has an open position in the youth media or marketing space, we encourage you to join the Ypulse LinkedIn group, if you haven’t yet, and post there for... Read the rest of this post

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As a kid, I remember having the impression that a lot of middle class families in my town were divided in a very easy to understand way.  You either subscribed to Newsweek or you subscribed to TIME.  This is one of those perceptions that you look back on in later years and just kinda sigh over.  In any case, my family was a Newsweek family, which suited me as a kid because each issue had a page of three comics and a lot of quotes I didn’t understand.  I didn’t understand the comics either, but that’s neither here nor there.

Now the years have passed.  Magazine subscriptions have fallen.  Newsweek trundles along its merry way, but TIME has looked at the marketplace and seen a need.  So for the past 17 years TIME has created TIME for Kids.  It’s an imprint that produces books for the educational/school market so if you haven’t heard of it, that’s why.  I certainly hadn’t.  As a public librarian, if you asked me what major periodical had a children’s book imprint that served non-fiction fare my answer would be “National Geographic” (which is true) or maybe “I dunno . . . Sports Illustrated?” (also, as it happens, true).

This year, for the first time, TIME for Kids is publishing books for the trade book marketplace as well.  Since I knew next to nothing about this imprint anyway I sat down with Bob Der, Editorial Director of TIME for Kids.  Fun Fact: He also overseas some aspects of Sports Illustrated for Kids as well.  Small world/big corporation.  I sat down with him at Lily O’Brien’s Cafe, which is a chocolate shop next to my library.  I did this because I’ve always wanted to meet someone there.  I mean, come on!  I’ve got a high end chocolateria next to me and I NEVER go in?  Crazytalk.

The sharp eyed amongst you will notice that I didn’t call this post a “librarian preview”.  That’s because it’s hard to justify calling something a preview when the books presented to you are all of two.  Yup.  Two little books.  TIME, as I say, is starting slow and so they’ve just come out with two books for starters. 

First up, you’ve got your The BIG Book of Why.  It’s one of those fun fact books, but with a twist.  Advertising that it, “answers the biggest questions kids commonly ask and adults can rarely answer” the book reminds me quite a bit of Stephen Law’s Really, Really Big Questions.  The difference (aside from the fact that this book doesn’t deal with some of the more philosophical aspects of Law’s title) is the size.   There are 1,001 facts inside and the page count rounds out to a cool 192.  Here’s something for the organized amongst you as well.  Says its press: “Divided by subject area – humans, animals, environment/nature, technology, science, and space – and written in an exciting and engaging manner, each answer is accompanied by either a photo or an illustration to prove the reasons why.”

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"Whenever he can, President Obama likes to share dinner with his family. During their evening meals, the First Family has a tradition they refer to as "Thorns and Roses." They will go around the table, telling one another about something good and something bad that happened during their day." - TIME For Kids President Obama: A Day in the Life of America's Leader

Just a month ago, President Obama delivered a televised back-to-school address to the school children across the nation. At that time he asked them to "put in the hard work it takes to succeed." President Obama knows quite a bit about hard work and responsibility. His job requires both. Kids can read about his daily life as President of the United States in the paperback book released this week, TIME For Kids President Obama: A Day in the Life of America's Leader by the editors of Time for Kids Magazine.

TIME For Kids President Obama is laid out a bit like a magazine, with eye-catching color photos on each page and short text segments illustrating various parts of the President's day. The book starts with a brief introduction of his journey to the White House, the campaign trail and election day. Kids will love the informative descriptions of the White House complete with rendered drawings and a Washington, D.C. city aerial picture map. Then, going from morning to night, readers are shown behind-the-scenes aspects of the President's daily life. The morning workout, briefing, a sample daytime agenda, family time and staying up late -- President Obama leads a busy life. Besides daily life facts and tidbits, the book is chock full of educational features like a chart of all the U.S. presidents, the order of presidential succession, branches of the federal government and the Cabinet. A short quiz in the back of the book tests readers' knowledge and an alphabetical index directs readers to specific subjects.

I really can't say enough good things about this informative yet entertaining book about President Obama. I learned quite a few facts from reading it. Did you know there are 87 phone lines on board Air Force One and that President Obama receives over 40,000 letters a day! The book would make a great gift or possible collector's book for boys and girls, and I think it would be a useful educational tool for schools, especially for kids in the middle grades. It is written in such a way that even those reluctant readers should find it interesting.

On page 71 of the book, the Easter Egg Roll is featured and it shows a picture of the President reading Where the Wild Things Are at the 2009 White House Easter Egg Roll on April 13, 2009. If you were wondering what it's like listening to President Obama read a children's book, check out this highly entertaining YouTube video of the event. Reading aloud is just one of the many things the President does well. "Let the wild rumpus start!" (Just in time for the movie release on the 16th.)

TIME For Kids President Obama: A Day in the Life of America's Leader the editors of Time for Kids Magazine. Time For Kids (October 2009); 128 pages; ISBN 9781603208291; (Ages 6-13)
Book Source: Review copy provided for free by the publisher (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Related links:
Time for Kids Website

She Scribes is giving away copies of TIME For Kids President Obama - Enter here: http://shescribes.blogspot.com/2009/09/time-life-for-kids-president-obama.html Ends 10/11/09

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