Pick Me Up: Stuff You Need to Know.

With gorgeous full-color spreads and an edgy, vivid design, a title for the Internet generation covers facts on history, geography, science, and natural history, and includes a detailed index to make each subject simple to find.

Grade 4-8–This inventive compendium 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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