Christopher Lloyd, editor of Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia (the first Britannica children’s encyclopedia to be published in a generation!), explains why the real world is far more amazing than anything you can make up!
Christopher Lloyd
Who on Earth would buy today’s children a printed encyclopedia? What would be the point when the world of online information has gazumped this ancient practice?
Actually, there are bunch of very good reasons to consider immersing a child in the fabulous world of non-fiction books. Over the last 10 years, I have given more than 1,000 lectures in schools and festivals all over the world and it is a universal truth that many, if not most, children are fascinated with reality – be it space, nature, dinosaurs, the lives of famous people, epic battles or world records…
Books are far less intrusive than screens. Sure – these days you inevitably turn to the internet to look up a fact or check out details of something obscure, but can you really trust what you are reading? Is it written in a style that suits your child? Will an unsavoury ad pop-up or an instant message distract their focus and train of thought? None of this happens in a book, especially when it is rigorously fact-checked by the experts at Britannica!
The Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia: What We Know & What We Don’t is divided into eight chapters that take readers on an epic journey covering Space, Earth, Matter and Life (natural history) and then Humans, Ancient History, Modern History and Today’s World (human history). Every spread is packed with a visual feast of facts, narratives and information from experts that lie behind every page. These experts are the role models for today’s children to inspire them with that natural love of learning that we are all born with, and a lifelong love of learning.
These Britannica experts have dedicated their lives to trying to find out the answers to some of the most intractable questions in the universe. In this all new compendium of knowledge, they show children how to make sure that information can be trusted – a hugely important skill in the world of today’s fake news! And what happens if they aren’t sure of the answers? Then they say so, in a series of features we call ‘known unknowns’. So often, the answer to one question is really the waypoint on a journey of curiosity that leads to others. That’s why we have sub-titled this new encyclopedia What We Know & What We Don’t…
— Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia, edited by Christopher Lloyd (Walker Books Australia), is out now.
Christopher Lloyd has written a number of books for adults and children on world history including the best-selling Absolutely Everything! A History of Earth, Dinosaurs, Ruler, Robots and Other Things Too Numerous to Mention. For more information and to learn about Christopher’s Britannica Virtual Quiz Show for schools and festivals, click here.
This book is part of Booktoberfest, the festival of new books!
Britannica All New Children's Encyclopedia
What We Know & What We Don't
This substantial, gifty, and compellingly browsable children's encyclopedia takes Britannica's reputation for authentic, trustworthy information and brings it to a whole new audience.
The gorgeous volume explores a wide range of kid-friendly topics, using text, illustrations, infographics, and photography, all in an upscale package that blings with the best of them. In keeping with Britannica’s reputation for expert involvement...
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