Pick Me Up

Features

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 352 pages
• Published by: DK CHILDREN September 25, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0756621593
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0756621599
• Book Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 2.4 pounds

Product Review
Just try to put Pick Me Up down--we dare you. Like surfing the Web, it's alarmingly easy to lose oneself in this heavy enyclopedia of "stuff you need to know." It's even designed with Internet-savvy readers in mind. Once you get beyond the dizzying lenticular cover, open to any page. After gawking at the many bright, sharp photos, illustrations, charts, and caption sunbursts, dig in to the meat: blocks (and triangles and circles) of text about everything from how to confuse an angry seagull to a history of medicine to Germany's exports and imports to an exploration of the meaning of life. As you read along, you'll come across underlined and bold-faced words with a page number following. These are the cross references that will send you flying from page to page, ever deeper into understanding the topic du jour. In the spread about wheels, for example, theres a highlighted reference to "Inca, Aztec, and Mayan civilizations 298." Turn to page 298 and start reading about pyramids and lost cities…then get sidetracked by "fight 154." Suddenly youre into "rappers 306" and "immune system 86." Get the picture?

Students will not necessarily be able to write entire school reports from Pick Me Up, but they will certainly be able to pepper their papers--and conversation--with unusual and useful facts. Kids and grownups alike will happily spend hours browsing Pick Me Up, always finding something new to marvel over. --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8–This inventive enyclopedia of interesting facts combines elements of an almanac, a trivia book, and the Internet with playful touches of humor. The table of contents, index, and a simple color-coding scheme provide subject access, but the book is not intended to be read from front to back. Each page includes a wide range of information, much of it connected in unexpected ways. Cross-references, which appear in bold with page numbers within the text, approximate the role of hyperlinks and allow readers to follow related topics of interest. A page on the Mona Lisa, for instance, has obvious cross-references to Leonardo da Vinci and the Italian Renaissance, but also leads to mass media and supermodels. A spread that starts with national economies also includes features on online shopping, obesity, and gospel music. The graphic design of each page is impressively diverse, utilizing charts, photographs, cartoons, and diagrams in a variety of colors and styles. Some illustrations convey most of the information, such as a clever flow chart that shows how the book works. The tone of the text is often irreverent, but this matches the general theme that information is fun and worthy of enthusiasm. Comparing the Roman Empire to McDonald's may not be the first reference for a school report, but it's a distinctly inventive way to get readers to think imaginatively about both. This unique resource is a natural choice for the many fans of the Guinness Book of Records.–Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
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Reader Reviews
If you are someone who considers yourself an information junky then "Pick Me Up," is a book you will enjoy. It would be easy to say this is a book just for kids or teens, but Pick Me Up is a book that parents and educators will find useful and interesting as well. The full color book is so interesting and such eye candy that teens will want to close the lid on their laptops to check out this book. The book is broken into 8 different subject areas- Science, Technology & Space Society, Places and Beliefs History The Natural World People Who Made The World Arts, Entertainment and media You and your body Planet Earth Each content rich section includes a ton of useful information. From the planets to the country with the largest democracy, there is so much good stuff in this book, one cannot afford to let this gem pass them by. It seems as if no stone is left unturned. More than anything this is a really fun book. If reading the almanac or Guiness Book of World Records tickles your fancy, Pick Me Up is one book facts that will keep you occupied for months to come.