Reference Books for Kids

The New York Public Library Kid's Guide to Research

Today's elementary schools demand a lot from our children. Over the years, as school curricula have begun to encourage a hands-on approach to learning, research has become a more integral part of all school subjects. As a result, the modern student may be asked to design and perform experiments; search the Internet to find out what life is like in another country; interview relatives and survey classmates as sample groups; and, at the very least, know his or her way around a public library. Research has become central to the educational process for a good reason: it's useful in almost every walk of life. But for many children, with so many new sources to search and so little training in research technique, the task can seem overwhelming and exasperating.

The librarians at The New York Public Library understand that frustration, and know from firsthand experience what kinds of help kids are looking for. Now, together with award-winning children's author Deborah Heiligman, they offer the Kid's Guide to Research, a well-organized, accessible introduction to everything kids should know to find what it is they're looking for. Among the book's wealth of information is advice on:

Choosing a topic and taking notes
Using the library, including reference books, card catalogs, online catalogs, single-topic books, periodical guides, and current periodicals
Evaluating sources
Finding visual resources such as photographs, art, and videos
Conducting surveys, observations, experiments, and personal interviews
Using Internet features such as e-mail, the World Wide Web, news groups, and mailing lists, plus Internet safety and etiquette
Knowing where to find more information (museums, historical sites, businesses, or even grandma's attic)

Featuring illustrations and helpful sidebars on possible trouble spots, this easy-to-use hardcover edition offers a lesson as true for children as it is for adults--namely, that knowing how to get the information you need is almost as good as having it already.

1998, 134 pages, hardcover, $14.95, ISBN 0-590-30715-0
Published by Scholastic Reference

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The New York Public Library Student's Desk Reference

This adaptation of The New York Public Library Desk Reference constitutes for children what its parent volume is for adults: the ultimate source of commonly needed information. Want to know the size of the moon, or the life span of an elephant? How to start a rock collection, or write a term paper? When the Emancipation Proclamation took effect, or man first orbited Earth? All the answers lie within, as well as much more on science and math, arts and literature, language, history, sports, health, etc. Ideal for homework help or just to satisfy a developing mind.

1993, 513 pages, hardcover, $20.00, ISBN 0-671-85013-X
Published by Prentice Hall General Reference

Books of Answers for Kids

The New York Public Library Amazing World Geography

The New York Public Library Amazing World Geography: A Book of Answers for Kids Guided by author Andrea Sutcliffe, follow the Ring of Fire from New Zealand to South America. Navigate the Blue Nile and walk the Great Wall of China. Meet the first person to reach the South Pole and witness the "Green Revolution" in India. Explore the people, landscapes, and languages of our fascinating planet and uncover the answers to all your questions about world geography . . .

How old is the earth?
Can volcanoes form underwater?
What are maquiladoras?
Why are rain forests so important?
Where and what are the Pillars of Hercules?
Is the Red Sea really red?
What languages are spoken in Africa?
Do any plants or animals live in Antarctica?

As usual in this illustrated series of question-and-answer books, maps, charts, other illustrations, and illuminating sidebars add to the adventure. The book concludes with a helpful glossary, as well as an alphabetical list of world countries that includes facts on population, languages spoken, area, and type of government.

2002, illustrated, 176 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-39296-0
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The New York Public Library Amazing U.S. Geography

Guided by author Andrea Sutcliffe, follow a chinook over the Rocky Mountains. Trace the course of the Mississippi River from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Discover where gold is mined and fish are farmed in the United States. Explore our fascinating nation from Alabama to Wyoming, and find answers to all your questions about U.S. geography.

Where is the highest waterfall in the United States?
What is a sand sea?
Why does California have so many earthquakes?
Why are people from new England called Yankees?
How many U.S. presidents were born in Ohio?
Where did the Santa Fe Trail begin?
How large is mammoth Cave in Kentucky?
How hot are the Hot Springs in Arkansas?

Maps, lists, photographs, and intriguing sidebars will spark the curiosity of young minds as they learn about the United States and its people.

2002, illustrated, 170 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-39294-4
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The New York Public Library Amazing Scientists

In this entry in this series, Jim Callan introduces young readers to the findings of some of the world's greatest scientists. Discover the moons of Jupiter with Galileo. Uncover the science of radiation with Madame Curie. Travel forward in time with Einstein. Find out how scientists learned to cure diseases, how they discovered gravity, and how they determined the structure of the atom.

What is the Hippocratic Oath?
How did Archimedes single-handedly hold off the entire Roman army?
Which famous physician learned about human anatomy in a gladiator ring?
What is natural selection?
What was the worst disease of all time?
Who discovered over 300 uses for peanuts?
Which founder of chemistry died by the guillotine in the French Revolution?
What Nobel Prize-winning physicist escaped the Nazis in 1933?

These are just a few of the questions answered in this engrossing book, featuring photographs, other illustrations, diagrams, and a host of interesting facts about the men and women who made history with their scientific discoveries.

2001, illustrated, 172 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-39289-X
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The New York Public Library Amazing Explorers

In this entry in the Library's popular series, Brendan January invites young readers to journey through history. Sail down the Ivory Coast with the ancient Phoenicians. Meet the Kublai Khan with Marco Polo. Join the Antarctic explorers in their race to reach the South Pole. Discover vast new lands, plumb the depths of the deepest oceans, and venture into outer space. Find answers to everything you've ever wanted to know about the world's greatest adventurers and explorers ...

Who was the greatest general & explorer of the ancient world?
What was the Silk Road?
What caused the Age of Exploration?
What was considered the worst crime on the high seas?
Who was Ynes Mexia?
Who found the source of the Nile River?
How did Ballard find Titanic?
Who was the first woman in space?

The joy of discovery comes alive for young readers in questions and answers, reproductions of historic maps of early exploration, photographs, and entertaining anecdotes and facts about explorers and navigation.

2001, illustrated, 169 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-39291-X
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The New York Public Library Amazing Mythology

In this entry in the Library's popular series, Brendan January offers an interesting and informative answer book on mythology, through questions such as:

Who was Gilgamesh?
What was inside of Pandora's Box?
How was Tenochtitlan founded?
How did Rama rescue Sita?
How did Thor lose his hammer?

This fascinating, wide-ranging mythology book contains over 200 questions and answers to entertain and enrich the minds of young adults. Readers will find intriguing anecdotes and information on mythologies from cultures around the world, including Egyptian, Greek, African, Celtic, Norse, and Native American. Informative lists, illustrations, fun facts, and sidebars engage young readers and encourage them to explore the subject on their own.

2000, illustrated, 192 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-33205-4
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The New York Public Library Amazing Native American History

A Parents' Choice Award Book

In this recent entry in the series, Liz Sonneborn offers a comprehensive, accessible portrait of Native American history, through questions such as:

Why did the Mound Builders build mounds?
Who fought in the French and Indian War? What was the Trail of Tears?
Who was Sitting Bull?
What is a powwow?

Packed with lists, photographs, illustrations, fun facts, and sidebars, this volume, like the others in this popular series, serves as both an entertaining, enlightening primer on the subject and an incentive for further research. As such, it's an ideal addition to any home or classroom library.

1999, illustrated, 170 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-33204-6
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The New York Public Library Amazing Hispanic American History

Which Spanish explorer discovered the Mississippi River?
Why do some people call themselves Hispanic while others call themselves Latino?
Who were César Chávez and Che Guevara?
Is "La Bamba" a traditional Mexican song?

Author George Ochoa answers these questions and hundreds more to render a comprehensive, accessible portrait of Hispanic American history. Packed with lists, photographs, illustrations, fun facts, and sidebars, this volume, like its predecessors, serves as both an entertaining, enlightening primer on the subject and an incentive for further research. As such, it's an ideal addition to any home or classroom library.

1998, 192 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-19204-X
Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

The New York Public Library Amazing Women in American History

Beginning with Native American "clan mothers" of pre-colonial times and extending to today's trailblazers, this question-and-answer book chronicles the lives and contributions of extraordinary American women. Along with chapters on the suffrage movement and the struggle for equal rights, author Sue Heinemann offers a look at women during the Revolutionary War, the fight against slavery, the settling of America's western frontier, and the Great Depression and World War II--all related in the series' signature easy-to-read style.

1998, 192 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-19216-3
Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

The New York Public Library Amazing African American History

"A well-organized, objective, accessible guide for students who need immediate facts and a starting point for additional reading and research," said School Library Journal about author Diane Patrick's look at black history and culture. Starting with African civilizations and continuing through slavery, Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, and the black power and civil rights movements to the "New Renaissance" of today, Patrick uses biographies and an engaging question-and-answer format to profile African Americans who changed the face of their country, and ultimately the world. Includes a fold-out color poster.

1998, 170 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-19217-1
Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

The New York Public Library Amazing Space

This volume introduces future astronauts of the world to the real-life science behind their favorite fiction. Opting for diagrams and illustrations over mathematical equations, author Ann-Jeanette Campbell whisks young readers to distant galaxies and into the heart of the Milky Way for an imaginative overview of astronomy, the solar system, and space exploration. Includes glow-in-the-dark star stickers and guidelines for conducting home astronomical experiments.

1997, 186 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-14498-3
Published by John Wiley and Sons

The New York Public Library Incredible Earth

Dinosaurs, volcanoes, meteors, earthquakes: many children might be surprised to learn that the subjects of some of their favorite recent movies have an important, and fascinating, basis in reality. Authors Ann-Jeanette Campbell and Ronald Rood offer a brief history of time and journey to the center of the Earth to explain the forces behind evolution, weather, and the formation of bodies of land and water. A pull-out 3-D globe accompanies the usual host of helpful pictures and drawings.

1996, 186 pages, paperback, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-14497-5
Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

B. Bergeron, rev. 1/08