Google Gets Bookish

Reference books that are accompanied by Web sites are hardly new, of course. Enslow Press has released more than 100 titles of its MyReportLinks.com series during the past year, and U.K. publisher Usborne offers its Children's Encyclopedia, which includes linked sites (www.usborne-quicklinks.com). But what distinguishes the e.encyclopedia from its competitors is that it's organized around thematic content, rather than alphabetically, says Beth Sutinis, a senior editor at DK. That means when student look up information on Egypt's pharaohs, they will also discover a historical timeline, an article about the development of the nation's alphabet, and the scoop on the Hittite kingdom—all within a few pages of one another. "All this in mere seconds, using the best tool for reading—a book," Sutinis says. Also, DK and Google, unlike their competitors, will keep their related Web links up to date.

Is the e.encyclopedia all that it's cracked up to be? Shortly after it was published this fall at the beginning of October, JoAnn Jonas, a branch manager at the Chula Vista (CA) Public Library and a former member of the Newbery committee, tried out a copy with some kids and her staff. The verdict? "It's a beautiful book and the photos are gorgeous," says Jonas, but she feels it's unclear what age group the book is intended for. "Many of the topics are the ones we're always asked for by second- through fifth-graders—dinosaurs, animals, and machines—but the text is difficult for kids under fifth grade," she says. And she's disappointed that the feature that lets kids download photographs often doesn't supply the same beautiful photos as in the book.

Although Jonas thinks that the e.encyclopedia needs to be used in tandem with its Web site to provide students with adequate information on a topic, she likes it as a browsing encyclopedia. But there's a catch: Jonas says that the need to have the correct keyword to reach the links can be frustrating, and that the content of the recommended Web sites is often too advanced for the children most attracted by the book's beautiful pages.

"I wouldn't use the book as a first choice in a library, although at $39.95, it would be fine for home use," recommends Jonas.