Wow in the World: What in the Wow?!: 250 Bonkerballs Facts – Jaw-Dropping and Weird Science About Animals and Dinosaurs for Kids

Wow in the World #4

by Mindy Thomas, Dave Coleman (Illustrator), Guy Raz

From #1 New York Times bestselling authors Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz, hosts of the #1 kids podcast Wow in the World , comes a book bursting with 250 awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping science facts, photos, and illustrations. From skunks who do handstands to a bridge made with eggs, the world is full of wowzerful stuff! Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz, hosts of the #1 children's podcast  Wow in the World , are here with 250 of the most bonkerballs facts on Earth, covering topics such as animals, architecture, inventions, food, space, dinosaurs, and more! Filled with eye-popping photos and hilarious illustrations, this is a page-turning, jaw-dropping survey of some of the most astounding, gross, and all around weird scientific facts that will totally wow your world!

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Juvenile

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2023

Reviews

[Megan Hawley Steinfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow indeed! We’re always excited to get another Wow in the World title, and this didn’t disappoint! In fact, bed time got delayed because reading a few facts turned into finishing the entire book. Fun illustrations and colorful pictures pair with 1-2 fascinating facts per pages, which is the perfect amount, especially if you’re reading them out loud. This will appeal across elementary ages, as both my 1st and 4th graders found the trivia interesting and engaging.

[Aiza Idris (biblio_mom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know the fact that wombats pooped cube-shaped poops, or some butterflies species loves to drink other animals pee, nor jelly beans shiny coatings are from insects poops before I read this. 😂

What In The Wow offers 250 bonkerballs facts about many things in the world that will blows your kids (and your) minds. We enjoyed reading the book so much and laugh along the way. P/s : My 10 y.o knows more than me. 🥲🤣

[Rebecca Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Susan O'Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a crazy, zany collection of facts. Like the title says, it's "bonkerballs" facts. This is the latest in the series of "Wow in the World" collection that ranges from space to human bodies and everything in between. Facts are colorfully illustrated and presented in a format appealing to kids and adults alike. The trivia kept a grandmother and a 9-year-old entertained from the first to the last page. If you have a reader in the family who is both curious and imaginative, this is the perfect read!

[Jenny Lussier · Rating 4 out of 5]

What in the Wow?! Will be a terrific addition to the section of my library that has almanacs, Guinness Books and other amazing fact books. My students love them and I can’t wait to share this one too! With hilarious illustrations and awesome facts, the What in the Wow book will have a long wait list. I love that there are different sections (animals, Brain food, Bonkerballs Weather, etc). There is something for everyone. I loved the Wow in the World podcast and this book complements it! Thank you to @netgalley and @clarionbooks for sharing this eARC! #netgalley #wowintheworldwhatinthewow

[Donna Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has a lot of interesting, strange, weird, and odd facts that children love.
My grandson sat with me and we leafed through the book before he took it to his side of the house.
This could be information overload, however, there are small doses of real information that keeps a child engaged for a short span of time.
My grandson informed me that if I gave him this before Christmas, he would read a page or two every night before he goes to sleep and let me know what he learned.
The book is written in such a way that children will find it interesting.

[Lauren Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this ARC from Turning Page Bookshop in Goose Creek, SC! I thoroughly enjoyed this quick fact book. It’s a very easy read for kids, filled with lots of pictures! The 2 facts that interested me the most was that the shiny coating on jellybeans is made of insect poop. Also a Black man helped with the invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison. His name is Lewis Howard Latimer. Such a fun read!!!

[Pug · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little book filled with interesting and silly facts. I liked the juxtaposition of photos and cartoons. It was a fast read, easy to flip through. Although there were times when I would have liked more details behind the facts: the WHY or the HOW of it all. Funnily enough, I really enjoyed the Special Bonus Section of pigeon facts at the end: I laughed out loud at "I want COO for U.S. Army"!

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had lots of interesting facts but, there was a typo maybe on pages 87-88. It said the blue whale is 108 ft long and is bigger than any dinosaur and then literally the next page it says the Argentinosaurs is 131 feet long. Also, later in the book it says the blue whale is 88 feet long. Get the facts straight. That was really confusing. But other than that it was great.

[Leigh Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. One of the joys of being a library aide is seeing a whole bunch of interesting books. I was keeping an eye out for the “grands” and found this one. I can’t wait to introduce my six year old grandson to this book and others by these authors. I am hopeful it continues to inspire his love for science and learning and helps to build a love for reading.

[Amy Wiechert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A total hit for my 8-year-old who loves to learn! It's a nice, kid-friendly size to bring in the car, but it is still packed with the interesting tid-bits that spark curiousity and giggles. Plus, the visual style is interesting and appealing.

[Joni Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so glad I found this book! My son loves weird (read gross) facts so this is right up his alley! We will have to check out the whole series now! It’s really fun.

[Elizabeth Mellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC when the strike is settled

[Deb Acanfora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the pigeon facts at the end! 🐦

[Hudson Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book and I have the whole collection, and if you want more like this it's a podcast too

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a bonkerball fun book! Fun facts like: “You can tell, to within a degree or so, how hot it is at any given point by a cricket’s chirps per minute.” and more!


I just absolutely ADORE and LOVE the Wow in the World book-series and I try to get their newest book as soon as I can. Sadly, with the prices being as they are and how hard books have been to get, I wasn’t able to get the animal book, however, this one I did manage to get! Hopefully I will still be able to get the animal book, maybe even before this review hits (writing April 1st). crosses fingers

In this book we get to read about 250 (yes, really) facts on everything, including a special chapter on pigeons! There are facts on toilets and gross stuff, we get some hilarious facts about animals and humans, and there is more! And it is all brought with humour and fun and some fantastic illustrations and photographs!

I love the little intro talk at the beginning between Guy and Mindy. I just love a good fourth wall breaking and I laughed how they talked how they had been stuck in the book for a while.

Some favourite facts of mine: Lemons float, but limes sink. | That the most stolen food in the world is cheese (which I agree with because cheese is yummy) || Human hair can be used to soak up oil spills || A group of pugs is called a grumble. || A subway system that was never used runs underground throughout the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. (SOOO COOL).

All in all, I highly recommend this one, it was just oodles of fun and I hope that there are many more Wow in the World books coming out!

Review first posted https://twirlingbookprincess.com/