Our World (Usborne First Encyclopedias): 1

I wanted an encyclopedia for my sons' fifth birthday, and looked at a few different ones before deciding on this one. It stands out from the others because of its illustrations. They are mostly drawings, with a few photos as well, pleasant on the eye and full of detail in a way that gradually draws you in (as opposed to some of the more garish illustrations I saw in competitor volumes), and allows you to talk to your children about what they discover on the page. Also the type of information is well pitched for inquisitive five-year-olds - if anything I could do with a bit more information, but that's a small gripe. I think it will also be good in a couple of years' time when they will be able to read it for themselves. It's good for browsing and dipping into, so you can spend a satisfying five-ten minutes on any double-page spread, with topics like: 'day and night', 'storms and winds', 'volcanoes', 'following a river', 'useful earth', 'the web of life' etc. The one called 'Under the ground' is a great cross-section showing what is underneath us - under the soil, under the road and under houses, showing water pipes, foundations, people in manhole, rabbit burrows, etc. It would be good if they showed even more, e.g. where the sewers end up, but maybe it's not so bad if the book raises questions for mum and dad to answer...

Bought for grandchildren

Really surprised how great this book is.So informative without being too difficult to understand

Great booked packed with lots of pictures and information, my son has been really interested in this since buying it and has learnt a lot.Good quality and fast delivery

I brought the book for my four year old daughter as she is starting to ask questions about space and natural disasters. The book is brilliant and provides enough detail to answer her questions without overloading her with information. I will definately buy more books from this series.

This is a must for children - clear, concise descriptions and pictures - a good early start for getting to know about the World we live in. We have a four year old and he was fascinated by the section on earthquakes, volcanoes and floods as was I enjoying talking to him about it. It's ideal and will have use up to the age of ten I would imagine. Possibly perfect for supplementing school work.

This is one of a few 'education' encyclopedias I got for my 6 year old granddaughter to help explain her questions. The layout is superb and the presentation perfectly laid out, all in relevant areas. She loves it and it really does help when you have so many questions.

Brilliant for kids (& adults). Purchased for my V inquisitive 3.5yr old. She loves it, enjoys the pictures and having her questions explained. This is something she will have forever as its a beautiful hardback. I look forward to purchasing more from the collection. x