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I was excited to receive these books in the mail recently. We already subscribe to National Geographic Magazine and love it. It also makes me feel like a brilliant well-rounded person to have them hanging around the place. You know, for when people come over. We had not checked out any of the National Geographic kids’ products so getting the opportunity to do this was right up our ally. Let’s face it, my kids could use some of that well rounding. I must admit, I am a lover of the weird and unusual and I also happen to be a fan of random facts. Can I recite them for you on the spot? No but the information tends to get stored deep in my mind somewhere and I spit it out whenever. No one else knows this weird stuff in my mind so it makes me sound like I know what I’m talking about, sometimes.
An American woman set the record for the most Christmas trees chopped down in two minutes: 27.* How in the world did she do this? Did she use a steam roller? I think I need to see this video National Geographic, I’ll be waiting for the video evidence. Just go ahead and e-mail it to me.
What’s not to love about these? With lots of odd fun tidbits, a growing series, a Christmas and Canadian Edition you cannot go wrong. I may be a little biased though being Canadian and a lover of Christmas. It was interesting to read these fun facts about my own country, many things I would have never known otherwise. Like, did you know Canada is home to the world’s first UFO landing pad? Yeah, that’s right. We are so friendly we are just ready and waiting to politely greet these guys with some good ol’ Canadian charm and probably some maple syrup.
The average person spends a total of 19 hours Christmas shopping each year. * Have these people never heard of Amazon?
I went through the books on my own and with my oldest. I found myself laughing, learning, intrigued, and wondering what was going on in every book I read. I even kept yelling out facts to my husband as I came across ones that we would both like. So, I basically spent an hour non-stop yelling facts at him. As a 27-year-old, I thoroughly enjoyed these books. They are easy to read, full of colour and fun pictures, and they certainly make you wonder.
Visitors to a museum in Virginia, U.S.A. can perform experiments on holiday fruitcake.* Yeah, that’s because that’s all it’s good for.
The only thing I would say is a bit of a con is that the language is not for early readers. It isn’t overly difficult and older children won’t have a problem but the younger ones attempting to read will need some help in places. My oldest kiddo is just a bit younger than the suggested age (he is 5) and doesn’t read yet. He did however really enjoy these books as well. We had a really fun time going through the Weird but True! Christmas book a week before Christmas and kept coming back to the books over his Winter break.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was almost named Reginald.* Reginald the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a very unflattering name…
I love that these books encourage curiosity and even though my oldest doesn’t read just yet it made him interested in doing so. He asked questions, pointed things out, and just had a grand time.
I am always looking for things we can do together as a family and story time happens to be a big part of our day. We read a story every night before bed, my boys very much look forward to picking out our nightly book every day. The National Geographic Weird but True! Books make the perfect family book to explore, learn, and laugh about.
The world’s largest Christmas Stocking measures as long as four school buses lined up end to end. * So, where does one get this stocking? I think I deserve it.
They make a great option for gifts for your own children or any families you give to. My boys always get a bunch of books for holiday presents and these make a great addition to our library. The 10th anniversary of the Weird but True! books came along this year and they took the opportunity to update all 10 volumes with great new covers and more weird facts! There is something here for everyone with more than 25 books in the Weird but True! Product line and more than 15,000 facts. Certainly, some great conversation starters in here.
Weird but True! Canada is available for purchase at anywhere books are sold.
Hot-spring swimmers in the Yukon can compete in a hair-freezing contest in which participants sculpt their locks into wacky designs in minus 30 C temperatures.* I don’t see what’s so special about this, I do this every year without the lure of competition. I just shower and walk outside. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME. I don’t want angry e-mails when you catch a cold. I never said I was smart, just busy and lazy.
Speaking of cold, I don’t think we truly know what cold is after reading this one. The coldest temperature ever recorded in North America was minus 63 C (that’s minus 81 F for my American friends) in Snag, a small village in the Yukon. *
The fun doesn’t stop with the books. If you’re looking to bring some more interesting fun in to your little one’s lives you can also find Weird but True! On TV (Saturday Mornings Xploration Station on Fox), On the radio (Friday’s at 5 pm on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live), Youtube, their website, social media, and their app available on Apple devices.
*All the facts listed in this post are from Weird but True! Books
