The World Book

Joe Fullman, illustrated by Rose Blake

Where in the world would you like to go today? The World Book explains our planet in concise, plain-speaking language. Moving from continent to continent, it is a fantastic resource for learning and would be useful for projects about the world.

With its eye-catching die-cut cover, this book takes you on a globe-trotting journey around our planet. Visiting every country from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, you can explore the facts and flags of all 199 countries in the world; as well as some additional territories and Antarctica, the world’s coldest, driest and windiest continent.

The information is well organised and very accessible, with countries grouped by continent. Simply choose a country that interests you, go to the right page and immerse yourself in its geography, history, food, sport, wildlife, art and culture. Find out the size of Italy’s biggest ever pizza; the meaning of the name Sierra Leone; how many countries have a land border with China (it’s more than 10!); the five most popular winter sports in Canada; and how to say the name of the New Zealand hill which has the world’s longest place name – with a staggering 85 letters!

The pages have a strong, clear design, with interesting facts highlighted in coloured panels. The simple, colourful illustrations are by Rose Blake, illustrator of the Meet the Artists series: Meet David Hockney, Meet Peter Blake and Meet Andy Warhol. LoveReading4Kids describes The World Book as “a fantastic resource for young minds” – who can disagree with that?

Published by Welbeck Editions (208 pages)

Reviewed by Jane Walker