The Wacky & Wonderful World Through Numbers: Over 2,000 Figures and Facts

Everything takes on exciting new meaning when you look at it through the lens of numbers. Even boring, everyday stuff like can openers, snowflakes, rain, and honeybees becomes fascinating when you realize that:

The can opener was created 48 years after food was first put in cans (before that, people were using a hammer and chisel to open their beans)

It takes a snowflake 1 hour to fall to the ground

There are typically 16 tons of rain in one small, fluffy cloud

Honeybees must visit 2 million flowers to make about a pound of honey
More than 2000 entries like these are featured in The Wacky & Wonderful World Through Numbers. These amazing facts and figures cover just about every topic under the sun including people, animals, events, toys, food, fashion, weather, the solar system, pirates, and much more. With humorous illustrations, clever text, and a great blend of interesting, enlightening, and sometimes just plain gross facts to ponder, this book is hard to put down. (Ages 8+)

Gr 5–8—Number nerds, rejoice: a math-centric guide to the world is here. Perfect for the math-averse and computation devotees alike, this volume features colorful illustrations on each page, laid out in rough rows and columns, which draw the eye to more than 2,000 facts and figures grouped into 61 often-alliterative categories ("Terrific Treasure," "Disgusting Dinners," "Perfect Primates"). The topics vary, from historical architecture to outer space to weird stories of survival, with strange tidbits that will entice readers. The numbers-only format on each page (bolded numbers next to small, expositive paragraphs) makes for quick-and-easy perusal, serving up info appetizers to whet the imagination and encourage further research. The title validates the importance of a strong foundation in numbers and math for an audience notorious for its "When will I ever use this?" approach to the topic. Lengths, times, weights, speeds: all of these and more are lenses for history, science, and literature. The only drawback of this slightly oversize paperback is its lack of index; a table of contents is the reader's only finding aid. VERDICT An excellent resource for those serving those math-minded reluctant readers and for collections looking for a whimsical Common Core or STEM tie-in.—Chelsea Woods, New Brunswick Free Public Library