Note: There are two versions of Atlas Obscura - one for adults and another edition written especially for children that has a formidably long name (The Atlas Obscura Explorer's Guide for the World's Most Adventurous Kid). I refuse to type it more than is necessary and I just hit my daily limit, so for the purpose of this review, I will call this book simply Atlas Obscura.
- Antarctica's Blood Waterfall
- Etheopia's lava lakes
- The giant crystal caves of Niaca, Mexico
- The Hanging Temple of Hengshan, China
- A 10,000-year clock being built deep in the Texas mountains
- Norway's Forests of the Future library (this one was particularly cool)
- The Waitomo glowworm caves of New Zealand
- A 97-foot tall, 80-room tree house in Tennessee
- The living bridges of Cherrapunji, India
- A secret apartment in the Eiffel Tower
- The mysterious geoglyphs in Peru and Australia,
- Columbia's rainbow-colored river
- The micronation of Ladonia located on a beach in Sweden
- Namibia's fairy circles,
- The mobile library of Mongolia
- Moroccan tree goats
- The musical stones of Gobustan, Azerbaijan
Of course, we didn't actually go to all these places. Each page was easy to read, offering up a few facts and a new, bizarre place to visit. We'd read about each location and then look it up. Read about another one. Look it up. And so on. My only criticism is more of a heartfelt wish -- I wish it came with QR codes on each page that led me to a site where I could learn more about each location. That would have just made my life a little easier (and you know I'm all about that), but honestly, it was well worth our time. Like many families, we aren't really financially able to visit many of these places right now (though Bike Tree in WA, here we come!), but I love that my children were able to uncover a little bit of the ahhhhh-inspiring and awe-inspiring world they live in. Hopefully, they learned that there is a whole wide world of amazing waiting for them to explore. I know I sure did.
My Rating: 5 Stars
For the sensitive reader: There were occasional crypts, mummies, and graveyards. The illustrations themselves weren't scary, but those who might decide to look them up on the internet might find some fairly graphic images. I may or may not know this from personal experience.
2 comments:
This sounds awesome! I know a lot of kids (and myself, let's be honest) that would love this. Definitely going to check it out--great review!
I hope you like it! It's a fun way to travel vicariously!
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