A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

Got this as a Christmas present for my eight-year-old, and she loves it! Important concepts and events in history have been written in such an easy to understand way for kids. Highly recommended.

This hardback book is very sturdy and well-made. Present and easy to read format with lots of pictures It is clearly printed, and the colors are vibrant. I bought it as a gift for my friend’s preteen. He loved it and immediately started looking through it. It’s great for sparking curiosity. I also recommend Bill Bryson‘s other books.

Pictures are nice and clear easy to read for adults and love the feel of the paper

I read (via audio CD) the adult version of this book and found it interesting. It covers the beginning of the universe and our place in it to how humans got to be as we are, and has some great insights (like in the beginning where they note that we are all collections of atoms that happened to get together to form us, and the same atoms used to be other things and will be other things again). It shows how "science" is as much an art and political and silly as it is "science", stripping away some of the awe without removing the wonder of the discoveries made before "modern technology" and our advantages today. All in all, great for some interesting knowledge and useful perspective.This version is for younger readers. Our kids (10-15) weren't sure about it when they got it for Christmas, but they are picking at it and getting drawn in and I'm sure will read it cover to cover before long. Other toys are too distracting right now, but they do find it interesting and are reading it as kids do!

I bought this for my 7-year-old daughter. She is an advanced reader and has a strong interest in science, so I thought this would be right up her alley. Was it ever! She's toted "A Really Short History of Nearly Everything" to school every day for the last week so she has it for free reading time.The illustrations and photographs are high-quality and interesting, and the explanations are clear and factual. My daughter has needed to ask the meaning of a few words that are beyond her current vocabulary, but that's a great way to learn them. I see this book getting a lot of use over the next few years. I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

Bill Bryson's books are always a treat to read. Makes for a good gift too.

I had enjoyed reading Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything. I have 7 grandchildren and decided they might enjoy reading A Really Short History of Nearly Everything with colorful, fun illustrations. Even though my first grader grandson in particular had always had a fascination with science, I was surprised and proud of how he devoured the book, reading parts of it out loud to his parents. He was so taken with it that he finished reading it cover to cover in a few weeks often asking mom or dad what a new word meant. He learned about many exciting science areas of study but also vastly improved his reading skills in general. The other grandchildren were interested in the book but maybe not as much as Graham. However My sixth grade granddaughter also completed reading the book and even recommends it to her friends.

Lots of fun, fundamental facts about science, covering a massive range of topics. It's like an encyclopedia but written with verve and humor. I bought it primarily for my 8-year daughter, but the whole family enjoys it.