This picture book designed for "big kids" gives side-by-side comparisons according to length, height, area, life-span, speed, etc. of all kinds of things – animals, mountains, countries, modes of transportation, man-made structures and much more.

Segments of the book include: "On the Surface" (compares land-size of various countries, islands, different uses of land), "Into the Earth" (canyon depths, cave lengths and depths, etc.), "Going into Space" (compares power and speeds of rockets vs. airplanes, comet tail size comparison with various planets, etc.), "The Solar System" (compares planet sizes and distances, etc.), "Great Lengths" (compares lengths of airplanes, highways, major rivers, telecommunications cables, etc.). Other chapters cover animal speeds, land and water speeds, human population etc.

Does include some environmental and politically correct content. The segment on human population was much better than I expected, though. To give a sampling.... 

A population explosion has seen the number of people in the world more than triple since 1900 – from less than 2,000,000,000 to close to 6,000,000,000. Each day, enough people to fill the largest stadium in the modern world are added to the total. Thankfully, the world is a very big place. All the people in the world today could actually fit, standing shoulder to shoulder, on the small Indonesian island of Bali.

We have been spending hours in the garden where insects abound, and this new friendly title comes to entertain and inform my summer readers. The photos are very interesting and our 10 yr. old enjoyed reading about the reasons behind the dimensions of each of the unusually sized insects. The amount of information is juicy enough but also little enough to make this light and breezy summer reading!

Have fun learning about these insects: the most numerous animals on earth!

It's a Mystery! It's a Hit! Summer vacation will never be the same. Traditionally, Vacation Bible School curricula are either strongly Protestant or only vaguely Christian. Now there is an alternative that is not only Catholic but also lots of fun for everyone.

The Secret Garden is the third in a series of weeklong retreats for Catholic children. The program is designed for use as a parish summer program or a family-based unit study. It could be completed at any time of the year, but this one would be especially nice in warmer weather because of the garden theme and outdoor activities. This retreat introduces Catholic Marian dogma and focuses on developing the virtues, especially that of patience.

Both the teacher's guide and the student's appendix feature simple black-and-white line drawings. Don't let the non-glitzy presentation fool you; this program has excellent, solid content. Materials for the retreat leader include advertising and organizing suggestions as well as specific teaching points and background information. Points of controversy, a history of Marian dogmas, and apologetic information are presented. Fresh and original game and craft ideas that are easy to implement are described in each day's lesson. These memorable activities will appeal to both boys and girls. Indoor and outdoor games and activities keep this physically active program moving along each day.

Advance preparation is required. Materials are comparatively inexpensive to purchase, and the snack suggestions are very simple.

Daily lesson plans for 5 one-half day sessions follow a similar pattern. The day begins with prayer and continues with a lesson time, activity and game time, lesson on patience, another game or activity, work on Mary garden project, snack, a game or activity, and the closing. A party is suggested for the final day to showcase the week’s projects. Separate, but related, plans are included for preschool (ages 2-5) and elementary (ages 5-12) groups, with some suggestions for teens. When an activity is best suited for a large group, suggestions are made for a smaller group activity. We were very successful in using The Secret Garden with a group of seven children under age 12, and we are anxiously awaiting another installment in the It's a Mystery series.