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Chargement... Why Rattlesnakes Rattle: ...and 250 Other Things You Should Knowpar Valeri R. Helterbran
Aucun Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. ![]() When one compares it to the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series (and let's be honest, that's where a book like this will be read), it falls a bit flat. The style is much more educational and straightforward (unsurprising, given the author's background in education), without the flair for humor or entertainment that the Bathroom Readers possess in spades; it also lacks the longer articles in the BR series (sometimes 3-4 pages long) that allow for more in-depth coverage of a topic. The formatting, too, is a bit prosaic; the spacing of the text rows makes for relatively easy reading but it's dull to look at, and the rather mundane black and white photography inserted only adds to the amateurish feel of the whole thing. A redesign of the interior would probably go a long way toward making the book more appealing, as well as a tweaking of the style and depth of the articles. It's not a bad book; it's just not a great one. Give it a read once you've burned through Uncle John and the like. ![]() While several of the facts in the book were interesting, I had issue with some. My biggest complaint, however, was not the credibility of some of the resources, but rather the amateurish photographs interlaced between segments, some having hardly anything to do with the corresponding material. Ink illustrations would have worked much better, as would have professional black and white photographs. My second biggest complaint was with the copy editing in some cases (for example, "i.e." does not mean "for example"). My third biggest complaint was the slant towards Pennsylvania-based information, an obvious product of the author's employer at the time of this book's writing. All in all, this book may be of some value to a younger reader, but may not be of interest to an older reader, used to "the rest of the story." As for me, I'd prefer a book that actually answers the title's question ("Why do rattlesnakes rattle?"), which this book, oddly enough, doesn't. ![]() ![]() All of which probably sounds more relentlessly negative than I really want to be. Because, honestly, it's not bad. I did learn a few things from it, and it's probably a perfectly fine book to keep in the bathroom and browse through while you're taking care of business, if that's something you like to do. It's just that, if you want a collection of interesting facts you didn't know and probably should have, there are way better examples out there. aucune critique | ajouter une critique
A follow-up to Helterbran's popular Why Flamingos Are Pink: ...and 250 other Things You Should Know, this entertaining volume identifies more of the surprising explanations for the facts, tales, and lore associated with day-to-day living and the world around us. Organized into seven categories, this book tells you why birds perched on power lines aren't electrocuted; the origins of such expressions as "swan song" and "willy nilly;" and the science behind such phenomena as ball lightning, blue glaciers, red tide, and thunder snow. More than a mere compendium of trivia, this book is a springboard for learners of all ages. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Critiques des anciens de LibraryThing en avant-premièreLe livre Why Rattlesnakes Rattle: ...And 250 Other Things You Should Know de Valeri R. Helterbran était disponible sur LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Discussion en coursAucun
![]() GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)031.02Information Dictionaries and Encyclopedias American Miscellanies and FactbooksClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:![]()
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Each chapter is divided by topic: Nature and Environment, Language, Holidays and Special Occasions, and Cuisine, just to name a few. She answers questions such as "What is a Swan Song?", "What Is a Blog?" (helpfully providing the pronunciation ("blawg")), and "What Is a Gerund?". While some questions do seem above the level of the intended reader (e.g.: "What Is a Mid-Life Crisis?" and "What Is a Shylock?") most will be of interest to readers of all ages. Included are photographs taken by and/or of family members and friends, as well as items probably found around her home (such as lunch bags, "What Is Hyperventilation?", and a pink flamingo brooch, "What Is a Rhinestone?"). The author also answers questions posed by friends and family as listed in the back. For many of the answers (but not in every chapter) she does provide an example of usage: for the question about the origin of the word 'windfall', she uses the word in three different sentences.
Helterbran's writing style is straight forward and to the point - she takes each question and answer seriously. A couple of nitpicky things: In the preface she begins, "Lifelong learning is a passion of mine", however by the second paragraph it switches to third person. Not a huge deal, but confusing on a basic level. Also, why list "Google.com" as a resource? Shouldn't this information be the result of a little bit more research than that?
This book is a fun read, albeit not especially new trivia territory. If you know young children, or, really anyone, who has an interest in learning more about all kinds of things, this book would be a good start. (