Look Now by DK Publishing

Look Now: The World in Facts, Stats, and Graphics, takes a look at the world using various graphics and statistics. The book is divided into five sections: Earth, People, Power, Industry, Connections. In addition, there's a reference section at the back of the book listing various stats about the countries in the world.

I loved this book. Really loved it! However, I'm having a hard time writing this review. I swear there's some weird time manipulator imbedded in the book. Every time I open it I get sucked in and 20 minutes go by in a flash. There's so much information in this book, I find something new to look at or read about each time I open it.

The graphics and materials are truly outstanding. The information is bright, colourful and written in easy to understand language. It's presented in such a fun, unique way, it makes you forget you are learning something new. I'm a visual learner so all of the photographs, charts and what not really make the material more interesting for me. The book is a bit hard to describe as it contains a little bit about everything in the world. If you can quantify it or represent it pictorially, it's probably in this book.

My favourite parts were the "The World in One Day" pages, which detail what happens in one day around the world. For example:
Earth (page 46): A single tree releases enough oxygen to support two people.
People (page 100): 77 million elementary-school children don't have a place to go to school.
Power (page 146): Giant stone disks are still recognized as legal currency in Yap, Micronesia.
Industry (page 192): 298,944 bicycles are produced.
Connections (page 224): 2753 books are published every day.

Some other fascinating facts:
At 33.8 million people, Tokyo's population is bigger than Canada's entire population. (page 53)
The literacy rate in Afghanistan is 28%. (page 233)
In every catch of prawns, up to 10 times their weight in other species is also caught in the net and then discarded, often already dead. (page 174)
A total of 52 computers control all the systems on board the International Space Station. (page 220)
An estimated 2500 earthquakes happen every day! (page 19)

The round images on the cover are very cool. The pictures change as you tilt the book. I don't know what this is called, but I'm sure it has a name. I like it!

The table of contents is nicely laid out with an easy to read font and clear concise sections. The index is adequate and should aid in finding items in the book. In addition to these two items, the book also sports a "Data Sources" section, which lists the sources from which the information was taken. It contains many websites so the keen reader can investigate further.

Highly recommended. The website lists the book for 10-17 year-olds. However, there's plenty of information for adults, like me, to enjoy. I think it would be perfect for the statistics or graphics lover.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit DK Canada's website.

I'd like to thank Chris at DK Canada for this review copy.

Look Now: The World in Fact, Stats, and Graphics by DK Publishing, Dorling Kindersley (DK), ©2010. ISBN 9780756662868(Hardcover), 256p.