Knowledge Encyclopedia Science!

Exactly what you would expect from DK. The great color illustrations are highly informative and the text is concise with many details. 208 pages total. The first 60% is about the physical world, from atoms, elements, materials, the earth, technology, to outer space. The later part covers life from cells to plants and animals. The final pages are reference material, such as the scale of the universe, time lines, and units of measure. Younger children will like looking at the pictures in a general way and read the labels. I expect that children in the 4th grade or higher can enjoy the text and use it as a reference. I'm an adult with science degrees, and I enjoy browsing the pictures and text like a "coffee table book." It is stimulating to look at.

Books from this series are well written and organized with colorful illustrations and engaging descriptions on just about every topic you can think of! Each chapter is divided into bite-sized sections for a child to digest and then to move through the chapters to cover the whole subject step-by-step. I especially appreciate the age appropriate writing that pairs with the illustrations to deliver comprehensible subject matter. What a clever way to encourage reading comprehension while covering exciting topics like space, dinosaurs and history! I’ve used books in this series as my go-to gift choices for years, anything to see a youngster sit and excitedly turn pages instead of staring at an e-screen game! The books are hard bound, durable pages and stand up to years of reading.

Unlike parents who buy this book for children between 5 and 10 years old (whatever their purpose may be), I purchased it to teach my almost 13-year-old honors A student, and as a scientist myself. This book is a comprehensive introduction to middle school science (and slightly beyond) that covers chemistry, physics, and life sciences (three separate subjects often combined into one by the US school system). It contains many facts that most adults would struggle to answer. The organization of content, and accompanying illustrations are absolutely superlative. Let me emphasize that this is not one of the Nat Geo books that simply list entertaining but irrelevant facts ("did you know that your intestine could stretch from the equator to the north pole?"-type facts). You can actually teach the entire middle school curriculum from this book, covering chemistry, physics, life sciences, and even some earth and space sciences. If one masters everything in this book, they would easily rank in the top 10% of US high school graduates in science. I'm thrilled to have found this book, as I was struggling to supplement my child's inadequate middle school science education in Florida. What a lifesaver!

The book cover is sturdy and very beautiful. The graphics are very good. The font size is appropriate. The content is good. My 7-year-old son loves this book. "The vocabulary used is appropriate for both children and adults, the explanations are perfectly understandable while maintaining scientific rigor and presenting it in a simple manner."

Very informative for all ages! Great family discussion book.

Excellent book, very educational, its images make reading more enjoyable

I love this book, it’s precious to me. However, I am disappointed that my book arrived slightly damaged. I am still thinking about whether I should return it. It should have come with protective packaging.

My 6 year old nephew loves this book! I’ve bought him the general encyclopedia from Smithsonian in the past and noticed he is most interest in science and space so I got him those 2 for his birthday. Every time I visit he wants to show pages in the book and information that he’s fascinated by. It’s filled with pictures, dissections, facts and history. If a child in your life is interested in knowledge and science I highly recommend these encyclopedias because it’s the best gift you can give them. His brothers are always interested in looking at it as well but he is the one that’s truly interested in the book.