Internet-linked Encyclopedia of World Geography with Complete World Atlas By Gillian Docherty, Anna Claybourne and Susanna Davidson Usborne pound;30 How can we hook children on reference books? Usborne’s effective answer is by making every page buzz with vibrant imagery supported by succinct text, with links to equally eye-catching websites.
Their new internet-linked encyclopedia hits the spot as a self-contained reference book aimed at the internet generation of geographers. Divided into chapters such as Planet Earth, Weather, Peoples of Europe, Maps of Asia, each double-page spread focuses on a single topic, such as Monsoons or How Earthquakes Happen. Each topic contains internet “quicklinks” through the Usborne website. For the “far North”, links are made to Arctic Travel’s Nunavut Handbook with maps and tours in Arctic Canada, and to the website Images of Canada. All pictures, maps, diagrams and animations can be downloaded free of charge.
This resource book will certainly appeal to geography and school libraries. It would also be an excellent investment for families looking for something more accessible than traditional reference tomes. For secondary school geography teachers, it provides a pathway to websites that are readily adopted for use in enquiry and thinking skills approaches to the study of geography.
Ian Selmes is director of Oakham Key Skills, Oakham School
