Customer Reviews

Wonders of the World: Natural and Man-Made Majesties

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Reviewed by Jamie Driggers

In an effort to safeguard the world's natural landscapes and monuments so that the stories of earth are preserved, the World Heritage List was created. On this list are 830 monuments, both natural and manmade, thought to be of exceptional interest. Wonders of the World explores 71 of those masterpieces.

Each "Wonder" is indicated by country and gorgeously photographed. Each has a blurb specifically about it as well as a story of interest regarding either the location or the peoples who created it. Each also has a small illustration which accents part of the story.

This is a very interesting book for children as well as adults to page through and pick up bits of culture. The photographs are stimulating and the cultural references are intriguing. If anything there is almost too little information about each of the wonders. Though, I'll admit that each of them probably have their own reference book about them at the library for those who want to know more. I was also surprised to find some of the lesser known "wonders" presented over their famous counterpart. Then again, who can't recognize Niagara Falls over Iguacu Falls? It doesn't hurt to stretch our horizons. There is a nice balance between natural and cultural wonders.

For some reason, there is a map with numbered tags, but no page numbers. So if you want to see the wonders of the Asia, for example, you have to locate Asia, follow the numbered tags to the name and then flip to the table of contents to find the page. That's a lot of steps for an adult, much less a child. I think they would have done well to combine the table of contents with the map page and possibly number the wonder on its page for more ease of reading.

Armchair Interviews says: Don't let the "young reader" tag fool you. This is a book for all ages.

My seven-year-old son and I were reading this and looking at the great photos of historic sites and natural wonders, such as the Grand Canyon, Machu Picchu, etc. when we came across the entry for Mount Everest.

Next to the beautiful photo of the Mount Everest was a sketch of a "yeti" and the caption, "The yeti exists! It lives in the valleys of the Himalayas."

The text on the adjacent page states:

"Access to the mount is so difficult that Everest hasn't yet divulged all its secrets. One such secret has left even scientists perplexed: that of the yeti...this strange creature - half man, half ape - apparently saved a European lost in a blizzard in 1938...The snowman of the Himalayas might actually be a sort of prehistoric man who has not yet evolved. It's big, with thick fur, and four toes on each foot, and it's capable of living at an altitude of 19,000 feet. Might the yeti be a cousin of modern man?"

I have no problem at all with my child learning about legends and folklore, as long as they are presented as such. But this was presented as FACT - as a real animal. If it was inserted into the book for "fun" or "folklore" it was not stated as such. It was presented as fact. What a shame.