Children's Illustrated Encyclopedia

Several years ago, I started to tutor a man from Ecuador in English. As time went on I realized thst he (in his middle forites) wasin fact too old to become an English speaker. Almost all of his time was spent exclusively with Spanish speakers. So I concentrated more on speaking English to him and reading with him. He has become quite good at understanding English and is interested in a large variety of subjects - politics, acience, geography. When I decided to discontinue our meetings, I wanted to give him something that he would enjoy - that he could understand and that would be varied. I used the internet for my search and decided on the Children's Encyclopedia for the following reasons: 1) An adult encyclopedia Like the Columbia would have been far beyond his ability. 2) The recency of publication was attractive. 3) The emphasis on pictures was appealing. 4) The price seemed fair. 5) The vocabulary was very well chosen - it was simple but not childish. I was delighted with it and so was he.

So many questions were hard to answer when my 2 1/2 year old son started asking me (why do crickets make that noise? etc.) so, I bought this as a reference. Now, we read a section every night and he has so much knowledge from this book. It is very easy to read and has many detailed and colorful pictures (even boring subjects hold your interest!). My son, who is now 3 1/2 tells everyone how the noise is made by crickets rubbing their legs together. I've even learned a few things myself.

It was with some trepidation that I opened The Oxford Children's Illustrated Encyclopaedia, being it is a product of acedemia. I need not have worried. It is refreshing and is crammed with facts; and without being jingoistic, it cheerfully assumes it is not a bad thing to view the world through Western eyes. That is, it speaks from a largely Western perspective.Chinese history gets its due, for instance, but mainly as it intersects with European; the same goes for Africa. It is also notable that the encyclopaedia explains herbalism, reflexology and aromatherapy in a one-page article on complementary medicine, for instance, but devotes pages and pages to standard science: bacteria, viruses, breathing, cells, the brain, the heart, immunity, pregnancy, birth and so on. The "wisdom of the rainforest" is absent. So is the group theory of scientific discovery, in favour of the accomplishments of such individuals as Archimedes, Marie Curie, James Watt and Albert Einstein.Pollution and its effects are discussed, but without any technology-bashing. The entries on the steam engine, crane, battery and photocopier (bet you didn't know that the key to photocopying is magnetism) are more than clear; they impart to children that each is a triumph of the human mind.Its accurate chronology and historical structure for example include Medieval England with exposition of king, law, parliament, God and the Black Death. Then there is the matter of religion. Its pages on Buddhism, Islam and Judaism provide excellent synopses, and the entries on Christianity are packed with information. Space was found for Methodism founder John Wesley, the Quakers' George Fox and many more. In summary, it is accurate, factual but more important it presents things in perspective.Nathan Greenfield [BCR]