When my daughter (now 10) first got a tablet to use for various educational and entertainment purposes, she soon found the Wow in the World podcast by Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz. She loves the zany personalities of these voices and the podcast filled her random-but-educational science facts cravings. The book What in the Wow!? by the same personalities (illustrated by Dave Coleman; Clarion Books, 2023)? is filled with, as the subtitle says “250 Bonkerballs Facts.”
What in the Wow?! has wacky illustrations interspersed on each page as well as illustrations collaged with real photos, giving it the same eccentric feel as the podcast. My daughter eagerly ate up the information with page-turning interest. For those more interested in browsing, the books is organized by subject, including animals, technology, “eh, gross,” and many more subjects, and the brightly colored pages likewise attract readers. The last section is all about pigeons, and is “narrated” by Reggie, the pigeon who is a contributing member of the podcast crew. What an amusing touch!
I received a digital review copy of this book.
