By John Hudson Tiner
Master Books
www.masterbooks.net
PO Box 726
Green Forest, AR 72638
800-999-3777
Exploring the World of Biology is a reference book or textbook (depending on how you look at it) that covers the subject of biology from a Christ-centered perspective. Almost half of the book covers the animal kingdom, while the rest goes over the other four kingdoms as well as biological classification and nomenclature. There is also a very useful chapter on "Frauds, Hoaxes, and Wishful Thinking" in the scientific world. The book is very well designed. It has lovely graphics interspersed that lend it a "cool factor," along with many high-quality pictures (albeit in black and white) that help illustrate the various concepts nicely.
This book can be read straight through or used by itself as a complete curriculum if you use the questions at the end of each chapter. It is recommended as an introduction to biology for elementary-age children, an in-depth curriculum for middle schoolers, and a review of biology for high schoolers. It doesn't appear to be designed for public-school students or homeschool students in particular, but it would probably work best in a homeschool setting. The book is nicely divided into chapters that are of a manageable length for reading assignments, with helpful questions at the end of each chapter to help students remember what they read. It also includes an "Explore More" question at the end of each chapter to inspire inquisitive students to learn more about the subject.
Even as a high schooler, I enjoyed reading this book and reviewing some of the things about biology I had forgotten or had never heard before. Where else would you learn that Jacques Cousteau originally wanted to be an airplane pilot? The pictures were all very nice (even in black and white) and added a great deal to the text, illustrating the main points and helping visual learners (like me!) get a "mental picture" of what's going on. The book is tastefully designed, eye-catching without being too flashy or detracting from the text. The information itself was just sophisticated enough to keep my attention, but simplified enough that even elementary students would be able to understand most of it. However, this book is particularly well suited (for serious study) for middle schoolers. That's not to say that other age ranges shouldn't read the book. I would highly recommend it as either a first look at or cursory review of biology for any other age range.
In short, I found this book to be a highly enjoyable read and an excellent review of everything I thought I remembered about biology! I believe that the families who would most benefit from buying this book are those with middle schoolers in need of a serious yet fun study of biology or those with high schoolers in need of a review of biology. I would highly recommend this product.
Product review by Josiah Wright, son of Dr. Anne Margaret Wright, Senior Product Reviewer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June 2009
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