Natural History: The Ultimate Visual Guide to Everything on Earth Hardcover – October 4, 2010

If you grew up in a house like mine, there were a few big, lumbering volumes that you'd return to year after year, whatever your age, to browse through, look at the pictures, consume a bit of trivia, and absorb knowledge by osmosis. And even as an adult, you still remember them and the hours that you've spent over the years looking at them.This is just such a book. Beautiful images, wonderful, broad content that is informative and surprisingly deep, both for kids and for adults. Lots of pages, lots of heft. Not a throwaway "pictopedia" at all, but a good general reference for Earth science and biology.Heavy. Heavy, heavy, heavy in the best way, with thousands of glossy pages that keep kids and adults alike engrossed for hours on end. Absolutely worth it at double the price. Get it and keep it on your coffee table and watch as everyone reaches for it, opens it, and immediately starts commenting on the things—educational things, real things—that they're surprised and delighted by inside.The perfect antidote to our social media age and malaise.

One more of the truly wonderful DK (Dorling Kindersley) books. This publisher is well-known for copious illustrations, quality paper, and a smart layout that packs the utmost material into their pages, while still being attractive and a pleasure to read, or to simply look at the exceptional pictures. (If you buy from Amazon or its Marketplace, the prices can be affordable.) For 'Natural HIstory: The Ultimate Visual Guide to Everything on Earth,' DK has partnered with the venerable Smithsonian to produce a work of a larger scope than any of the other DK volumes in my personal library. This one was irresistible to me, and after Christmas I bought it with a gift card I'd received :) To give you an inkling of the breadth of the book, you'll find pictures of: pyrite, fulgurite, a fossilized plesiosaur flipper, the euglena, the ginko, the piggyback plant, the mousepee pinkgill mushroom, the tardigrade, the Pacific spookfish, the Southern screamer bird, the Tasmanian devil, the Diana monkey, the Java mouse deer, and the hourglass dolphin. Yes, perhaps the book's title exaggerates somewhat in saying "Everything on Earth," but nevertheless it's a treasure! I could hardly bring myself to put it down once I first opened it, and just to browse through it still feels like a reward. Should you buy it? Certainly! And share it with any children in your family, too.

I ordered this book for my daughter a couple years ago. Some family members thought I was crazy for investing so much money into a book like this for a toddler. I couldn't disagree more. Books are one of the greatest investments we can make for our children.My daughter LOVES this book. Even a couple years later. When she first got it, my dad and her went through all the pictures and he explained what everything single thing was to her. You can tell she was captivated by the bright and fun colors of the photography and it was a special moment for her and her paps to bond over the love of animals.This book will only grow with her. Soon she will start reading and can revisit this book and see it in a whole new perspective. Get this book for your children and it will be in their library for the years to come. The quality of the book is so good they could potentially pass it down to their kids. Knowledge is the gift that keeps on giving.

Wonderful addition to our family library. I began homeschooling this year and wanted a book that delved into animals, plants, and the earth in a bit more detail then the 4th grade science text we are using as a spine book. I found multiple Smithsonian books that covered each topic individualy but add them all together and that is a good chunk of change. This book covers all of the topics I needed in one text. So far we have covered invertebrates and there are bright vivid photographs on each page with clear and concise summaries of each phylum which is what I wanted. Great addition to any home!

For anybody whos ever been interested in nature or animals at all, for those who love animal planet and strange species... THIS is the book for you. Theres something about being able to SEE animals youre reading about-- you read all this fabulous information about a certain species and then ... theres a beautiful- real life photograph of that particular species! Not only does it have fascinating pictures and fun little facts, it breaks down the taxonomy of the animal/plant kingdom in a way that anyone can follow :) I bought this as a wonderful book to read of course but sitting on the coffee table, it starts conversations! "hey whats this book?" and you can tell them ALLLLLL about it! it is both a great way to begin your studies on the Earth and its inhabitants or expand your knowledge and read on a subject that you love! Fun to read and Easy to follow-- I actually finished the whole thing in about 5 days... i couldnt put it down :) BUY IT!

We just started homeschooling last year, and my son is one of those kids that loves to snuggle down with a book and just absorb it all, then later tell you all about the interesting things he's learned. When I saw this book I knew he would love it. It's HUGE! Almost 2 inches thick, this thing has some girth to it. It's one of those that you add to your collection for life, and will keep going back to. The content is amazing, and the photos are stunning. It covers everything in the natural world, from animals to minerals to microbes. Fabulous resource. I know we'll be coming back to this over and over.

Great book to look up all sorts of facts and beautiful pictures. My Grandkids all love looking through it. It's left on the coffee table for anyone to enjoy and they do.