Geography is not a topic that usually has children begging for more. But Earth Facts for Earthlings ($12.95) might actually have them fighting over who gets to read the book next! The concept is to use lots and lots of small snippets of interesting geography facts, presented in an engaging manner, and with colorful graphics and great maps galore, all meant to entice kids to want to learn about geography. For example, did you know that the marker for the South Pole has to be moved 30 feet every year because the thick ice layer moves that much? Or that there are only two countries on Earth that begin with the letter z, but 25 countries start with the letter s? Or that there are hotels made entirely of ice? Or that there are places on the Equator with snow? Or that England is not a country (it is part of the United Kingdom)? My husband and I had as hard a time putting the book down, as did our kids!

Earth Facts for Earthlings would be appropriate for kids from maybe 4th grade up, because the writing is simple, but the information is excellent. High schoolers would find wonderful ideas for further research on any number of geography topics. It was not written specifically for homeschoolers, but would certainly work well for some overall world geography study or interesting snippets to get kids thinking. The book ends with a 10-Second Country Quiz to review the more than 65 countries mentioned in the book, and a Mixed-Up Facts quiz. There is now a Volume 2 available that covers U.S. geography, as well. While Earth Facts for Earthlings is a rich 64-pages of interesting information, we were left wanting more! If you want a book that brings geography to life for your kids, it would be hard to find a better product. I never knew geography could be so much fun!

-Product Review by Dr. Anne Margaret Wright, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August, 2006