Guinness World Records 2012

Guinness World Records 2012 may be just the book to get your boys reading, even those who are reluctant readers. The large number of photographs, the brief descriptions of the records, and the variety of records, from those that are exciting and inspiring to those that are funny to a few that are "yucky" will all appeal to kids who love to collect and share facts and who prefer to do their reading in bits and pieces rather than all at once. I recommend the book for kids ages 9 to 16, although some younger and older kids may also enjoy it, as will some adults.

Guinness World Records 2012 is filled with an amazing number of world records (4,000) and color photos (900). While the amount of information is mind-boggling, the book's format helps to organize it in a way that make it easier to find information.

The Book's Organization
The table of contents page shows sample pages with notes explaining what readers will find: "fact snakes," colored circles of background information, record bubbles, notes and annotations, and more. The introduction section includes the Editor's Letter highlighting some of the book's features and related activities. A six-page section deals with Guinness World Records Day and how to be a record-breaker, followed by a "quirky quiz of common myths and misconceptions."

The remainder of the book is organized by theme: Universe, Planet Earth, Vareity of Life, Time Tales, Human Body, Skills & Talents, Spirit of Adventure, Society, Sci-Tech & Engineering, Popular Culture and Sports. There is a great deal of interesting factual information, along with some inspiring and exciting world records. There are also a lot of funny world records as well as some your kids will look at and say, "gross." It's this mix that is so appealing to tweens and teens.

Why Do I Particularly Recommend the Book for Boys?
While I imagine a number of girls will also enjoy the book, research has shown that boys read less than girls and are much more apt to be reluctant readers. Research has also shown that boys tend to like nonfiction books more than fiction and that reluctant readers tend to be intimidated by books that have page after page filled with words, without illustrations or breaks other than chapter breaks. The pages of Guinness World Records 2012 contain lots of color photographs and brief descriptions, making it an excellent book to dip into again and again, without feeling you have to read it all.

Because of the thematic organization and the two indexes, it's easy for young readers to locate information that interests them. If you want to encourage your kids to read daily, just pick a topic and have them look it up in Guinness World Records 2012 and read you what they find. If they enjoy the book, they are apt to also enjoy National Geographic Kids Almanac 2012. I recommend it for a narrower age range: ages 8-14. Some of the topics it covers are nature, animals, geography and history. It also includes numerous maps.

If your kids are interested in science, I recommend the books in the Scientists in the Field series. Some of my favorites are The Snake Scientist, Digging for Bird-Dinosaurs and Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.