How hot does it get on the Sun? What really went on aboard a pirate ship? What was life like for kids a hundred years ago? How much did dinosaurs eat? What is art? Why do we have to take baths, and go to school? Where do polar bears, lions, and dolphins live? What is pollution, and how can we help the planet?

Hot on the heels of the best-selling Smart-opedia for ages 8-12, comes Smart-opedia Junior, for younger readers. This amazing book really is about everything kids have questions about. From a tour of the human skeleton and the five senses to modern technology and inventions, from life in the desert to a day at a fire station, readers can expect to be delighted and fascinated at each turn of the page. With subjects so inviting and accessible, kids can open this book anywhere that catches their attention, and learn many valuable and appealing new things, reading on for more and more.

Richly illustrated in a wide variety of exceptional and colorful graphic styles, the comprehensive text delivers stimulating and educational information for young readers as never before. Seven detailed chapters (The Body, A House to Live In, In the City, History, Animals and Plants, The World, and The Universe) are divided into more than 70 entertaining and thought-provoking subjects. Ideas and concepts are arranged in clear themes, carefully introduced from small to big, and from the inside out. Readers learn first about their own bodies, then their own families, moving on to the community, the world, and finally the universe.

Smart-opedia Junior: The Amazing Book About Everything is designed so that reading information is an absorbing adventure and an exceptional treat for the eyes. Each thematic chapter contains visually dynamic spreads with dramatic, colorful illustrations. Special features in each chapter abound:

* Kids' questions answer everyday questions kids ask, including: Why do I have to sleep? Why do we need to brush our teeth? How does a traffic light work? and Why are leaves green?
* What about you? connects readers to the subject matter by asking them questions about themselves that relate specifically to the theme of a page. Such questions include: What are your favorite colors? What is your favorite book? Do you know the oldest places in your town?
* Figure it out! are activities and puzzles using the words and images on the page that readers have fun solving on their own. These range from deciphering a family tree, to working out who is using electricity in the house, to finding a kid lost in the store and reuniting her with her mom.
* Did you know? sidebars clue readers in on facts and tips they might not have known, like the differences between germs, bacteria, and viruses, and what to do if there is a fire in your house.
* Number time bubbles contain fun statistics that are interesting to kids and adults alike. Did you know that a man once had hiccups for 69 years and five months? Or that it took more than 20 years and 20,000 men to build the Cheops Pyramid in Egypt?
* Day-in-the-life pages offer enlightening, realistic looks at how different people spend their time: at school, in the house, at work, at play, and in various historical periods.


From going to the circus to discovering the world of plants, from soaring over mountain peaks to visiting the city museum, this rich, lively, and clearly organized world-in-a-book is aimed at the children of today. It will entertain them with answers to questions they might not even have known they had, and help them take joy in figuring out the world around them. It is a great resource for family reading time, as well as an excellent reference text for primary homework assignments and school projects.

This book gives young readers an extraordinary and eye-opening broad basis of general knowledge that can be used every day in every way. Guaranteed to dazzle, educate, amaze, and amuse, Smart-opedia Junior will become a well-loved and well-worn addition to home, school, and public libraries.