Finding the Right Encyclopedia for Kids
Some of us can recall when door to door salesmen were more common. I specifically remember someone coming to my house one day to sell encyclopedias. I had no idea who the man was, but when he came out of our house, he told me to give my mom a hug because she just made an investment in my future. Being eight years old, I had no idea what that meant, but you never had to ask me twice to hug my mom. My mom later explained that she had purchased a set of encyclopedias for my brother and me. Looking back, I realize what a huge investment this was for a single mother of two who was working her way through college.
Today, you can get an encyclopedia for kids for a better price than what my mom ended up paying for the ones she bought. She still has them, though they are sorely out of date now (and a bit musty!). The ones she got were not billed specifically as an encyclopedia for kids, however, as they were for all ages. I'm not even sure there were different types of these reference books back then. Today, there are many variations, and some of them are geared towards very early learning.
One common encyclopedia is Encarta. There are online versions, and there are the books that come in a series much like they did when I was a kid. There is also wikipedia online, but for the most part, that is for older children and adults. You can look around for a good encyclopedia for kids, but there are a few things you should consider when buying.
Remember that there are a few basic characteristics that make an encyclopedia for kids truly easy for them to use. They should be simple to read, but at the same time, contain the basic important information that kids need to learn about that given subject. The terms should be child-friendly, and the concepts should be easy to grasp. A good encyclopedia for kids will also contain numerous, vivid illustrations. These help children understand what they are reading, or what is being read to them. Usborne Books is a good place to find a good encyclopedia for kids.
If your school does not have an encyclopedia for kids in the library, this might be a great thing to donate to your school. Most have regular sets, but an elementary or grammar school should have both. The younger a child learns to use the encyclopedia as a study aid, the more apt they will be to do so in the future. When they do this, you know they are getting the correct information.