Ripley's Believe It or Not 2010 by Robert Leroy Ripley

Ripley's Believe It or Not 2010 by Robert Leroy Ripley
Buy Ripley's Believe It or Not 2010 by Robert Leroy Ripley at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Children's Non-Fiction
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: Bizarre facts, fiends and freaks with an eye on the front which winks at you. Kids will love it.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 256	Date: October 2009
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 978-1847945853
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If you're looking for a book which is going to keep a child (or some adults!) happy for hours on end then look no further. So long as you don't mind the groans of (mock) disgust, screams of horror and constantly being asked to look at (another) picture or listen as more is read to you then you should be absolutely fine. Following hot on the heels of last year's success Ripley's Believe It or Not 2010 is packed full of bizarre facts (some of which you might appreciate knowing – others you will definitely wish you didn't), fiends and freaks.

I know one adult who hasn't got past the front cover yet. There's an eye there in glorious detail and as you tilt the book it winks at you. Do try and have a look inside though – although you might prefer to do it between meals rather than close to one, just in case you encounter the cockroach and caterpillar sushi, the leaches attached to a man's gums or the scorpions crawling over a woman's face. It doesn't appeal? Oh, shame on you – you know that the kids will love it!

In fairness, not everything is quite so gruesome, but it is all extraordinary. There's a swimming pool in Santiago, Chile which covers twenty acres and is over a thousand metres long. Beside that the optical illusion of the Christmas tree which seems to be growing though a house looks a little understated. If you're into monster motorbikes then there's one in Perth, Australia which is three metre high, nine metres long and weighing in at fourteen tons it's capable of crushing a car. I'm certainly not gong to argue about who has the right of way!

It's education and information with a very light touch. There's a tingle slips down the spine but there's nothing too horrifying or which is likely to give sleepless nights. It's good for an eurgh! or even a wow! and there are likely to be quite a few discussions which start from these pages.

Go on. You know you like sushi.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

Children who like this type of book will also enjoy The Human Machine by Richard Walker or If Dinosaurs Were Alive Today by Dougal Dixon. They would love Serious Survival: How to Poo in the Arctic and Other Essential Tips for Explorers by Marshall Corwin.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Ripley's Believe It or Not 2010 by Robert Leroy Ripley at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.

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