Kids' Almanac Goes Online

Which U.S. President worked as a tailor before entering politics? What's the largest animal living on land? Which home-run slugger was drafted by the Montreal Expos as a pitcher? Those questions and many more are answered in the new online version of the World Almanac for Kids (www.worldalmanacforkids.com). There's information on dozens of topics, from history to religion. "The site was designed to educate, entertain, and extend exposure to our book," says World Almanac Publisher Ken Park, who says the launch complements the latest edition of the annual reference book. "It's not just full of data, but has fun stuff, too." For example, the Web site has a listing of weird museums and odd moments in sports. Kids can also find out which famous people share their birthday. The site contains about a quarter of what's in the print edition, plus quizzes, puzzles, Weekly Reader features, and contests. It's for second through seventh graders, and it's free to all users, so no subscription is required.

"It's our gift to librarians for buying the Almanac," Park says. (By the way, the answers to the questions above are President Andrew Johnson, the African bush elephant, and Mark McGwire.)