This colorful atlas takes kids on a photographic journey through the world! As each continent is introduced, there is a side bar running the length of the page listings it's countries. At the bottom of the sidebar, a globe is shown where the continent if emboldened in red so as to highlight it from the other continents. Select countries are then featured on the pages following each continent. In addition to the great maps, information on the food, people, history, culture, and plant and animal life is also given. I like this approach to geography best, as it give a well rounded view on the places that a child might not know a lot about.

Kids will read about various sites such as St. Peter's Basilica in Rome (a late Renaissance church) , Niagara Falls in New York, Machu Picchu (an Inca site in Peru), and Mount Kosciuszko (the highest mountain Australia.)

Animal life: Sun Bears (the world's smallest bear), Rhinoceros hornbill birds (a great photo of this bird is included and its beaks DOES look like a rhino's!) Kiwi bird (New Zealand's flightless bird), Dugongs (an herbivorous marine animal.)

Plant Life: Venus Flytraps, Tulips (associated with Holland but originally came from Istanbul, Turkey!) Rafflesia (This beautiful bright red but stinky flower is the symbol of Malaysia.)

Historical Figures: John Calvin, Leonardo Davinci, David Livingstone, William Wilberforce, Hudson Taylor, Eric Liddell etc.

Foods from around the World: Gateaux (a French dessert) Stollen (a German fruitcake often made with marzipan), Fufu (a doughlike African food that is made by the boiling and blending of plantains, yams, or cassava.)

In the back there is an index and glossary included and along with this there are pages given that include definitions for various government systems and holidays from around the world.

(The only negative in my mind was some of the inaccurate placements of locations on the US map. I did check sporadically into some of the pinned locations of sites in other countries, and I didn't see any other mistakes. It was a slight misstep that will probably be corrected in future publishing's of the book.)

There is not a drab photo in the entire book, and the bright colorful photos with the informative captions underneath were truly the highlight of the book. Kids don't usually relish reaching for an atlas, but this one our kids took one look at and asked when I would be done reviewing it so they could start reading it!

*Thanks to Master Books for providing a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

The size and layout of this book is attractive and easy to follow. The information on each featured country is informative without being overwhelming, and there are plenty of clear, vivid photographs and maps. The book is oversized, but thin, thus easy to handle. It contains a good mix of information on countries and cultures. I wish I had this book at the start of our year of learning geography. Great buy!

My favorite part is the inclusion of Christian History and traditions. With this information children are told when missionaries first arrived as well as how God is working in the country. This is a blessing in our home because missions is something we are very passionate about. In addition to using this in our home, I plan to take this to our monthly women's meeting where we focus on missionaries and their work around the world. This year I'll be heading up a portion of the meeting designed to help our children become more mission-minded. This Atlas will give me a great starting point for discussion with the kids in our church about the world and missionaries.

We still reference this book from time to time! Reviewing is always a good thing : ) AND who knows, you my pick up on something you missed the first time around. Yep! that much info.

It is big and beautiful!