I used to be a huge fan of these books, but this is a sad, diluted and dumbed-down version of a classic format. I know that sounds like an adult perspective, but even the kids in this house have expressed surprise - followed by simple indifference and boredom - towards this big mess of garish pictures and pointless facts that aren't related to... anything.
Where are the lists of records and human achievements? Why is there so much focus on American sports? Why are the pages such a sorry mess, making it difficult to extract even the most basic knowledge? It's as if the publishers were embarrassed to include anything so mundane as 'world records' in their books, so they had to hide it behind distracting - and simply ugly - razzamatazz that wouldn't impress even the most easy-to-please 5 yr old.
A sorry mess and a massive disappointment,