First Children’s Encyclopedia First reference for young readers and writers First Children’s Encyclopedia A DORLING KINDERSLEY BOOK Contents LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, MUNICH, and DELHI Editors Penny Smith, Lorrie Mack, Caroline Stamps, Lee Wilson Project Art Editor Mary Sandberg Designers Laura Roberts-Jensen, Lauren Rosier Our world Publishing Manager Bridget Giles 6–7 Our world Art Director Rachael Foster 8–9 The Arctic Production Editor Siu Chan 10–11 Canada and Alaska Jacket Designers Natalie Godwin, 12–13 United States of America Laura Roberts-Jensen 14–15 Mexico and Central America 16–17 South America Contents first published in various titles of the DK First Reference series (Illustrated Atlas, Encyclopedia, Human Body Encyclopedia, Science 18–19 Africa Encyclopedia, Animal Encyclopedia, Nature Encyclopedia, Dinosaur 20–21 Scandinavia Encyclopedia, Space Encyclopedia) in Great Britain between 22–23 UK and Ireland 2002 and 2008 by Dorling Kindersley. This edition first published in Great Britain in 2010 by 24–25 The Low Countries Dorling Kindersley Limited, 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL 26–27 France Copyright © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited 28–29 Germany and the Alps A Penguin Company 30–31 Spain and Portugal 32–33 Italy 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 176265 – 11/09 34–35 Central Eastern Europe 36–37 Eastern Europe All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any 38–39 Southeast Europe means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, 40–41 Russia and Central Asia without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. 42–43 Middle East A CIP catalogue record for this book 44–45 Southern Asia is available from the British Library. 46–47 Southeast Asia ISBN 978-1-40535-273-4 48–49 China and neighbours Colour reproduction by MDP, UK 50–51 Japan Printed and bound by Toppan, China 52–53 Australia Discover more at 54–55 New Zealand and the Pacific www.dk.com 56–57 Antarctica 58–59 Flags of the world People and society 60–61 World of people 62–63 Religious lands 64–65 Religious life 66–67 Writing and printing 68–69 Art and architecture 70–71 Music 72–73 Theatre and dance 74–75 Clothes and fashion 76–77 Sport and leisure 78–79 Working people 2 History of people 148–149 How plants work 226–227 Changing states 80–81 World of history 150–151 Fungi 228–229 Amazing atoms 82–83 Early people 152–153 Micro life 230–231 Molecules 84–85 Ancient Egypt 154–155 Food chains 232–233 Reactions and 86–87 Ancient Greece changes 88–89 The Romans Ecosystems and habitats 234–235 What is energy? 90–91 The Vikings 156–157 Ecosystems 236–237 Electricity 92–93 Aztecs, Incas, and 158–159 Polar regions 238–239 Light Mayas 160–161 Deciduous forests 240–241 Sound 94–95 Knights and castles 162–163 Rainforests 242–243 Forces and motion 96–97 20th century 164–165 A sea of grass 244–245 Machines 166–167 Life in a meadow Human body 168–169 At the water hole Planet Earth 98–99 Your amazing body 170–171 Desert regions 246–247 Our planet 100–101 What makes you 172–173 Life in thin air 248–249 Earth’s structure you? 174–175 Cool caves 250–251 Rocks and 102–103 Building blocks 176–177 The flowing current minerals 104–105 Organizing the 178–179 Still waters 252–253 Shaping the land body 180–181 Survival in the sea 254–255 Soil 106–107 Bones and muscles 256–257 Resources in the 108–109 Brain and senses Age of the dinosaurs ground 110–111 Breathing 182–183 Age of the 258–259 Fresh and salt 112–113 All about skin dinosaurs water 114–115 Body defences 184–185 What is a 260–261 The water cycle 116–117 Eating and dinosaur? 262–263 The atmosphere digestion 186–187 A hip question 264–265 Weather 118–119 Making a baby 188–189 Find a friend 266–267 The energy crisis 120–121 Amazing facts 190–191 Eggstraordinary about YOU! eggs The universe 192–193 Sauropods 268–269 What is space? The living world 194–195 Cretaceous cows 270–271 Where does space 122–123 The living world 196–197 Horns and frills begin? 124–125 What is an animal? 198–199 T. Rex 272–273 Our place in space 126–127 Types of animal 200–201 Big and bold 274–275 The Milky Way 128–129 The world of 202–203 Meet the raptors 276–277 Rockets mammals 204–205 Monsters of the 278–279 Moon journey 130–131 Marsupials deep 280–281 Men on the moon 132–133 Water mammals 206–207 How was it made? 282–283 Space shuttle 134–135 The world of birds 208–209 What happened? 284–285 Working in space 136–137 The world of 210–211 Living dinosaurs 286–287 Exploring Mars reptiles 288–289 The Sun 138–139 The world of Science and technology 290–291 A star is born amphibians 212–213 What is science? 292–293 The Big Bang 140–141 The world of 214–217 Advances in science insects 218–219 Being a scientist Reference section 142–143 The world of 220–221 Science and 294–297 Glossary non-insects everyday life 298–303 Index 144–145 The world of fish 222–223 All living things 304 Acknowledgements 146–147 What is a plant? 224–225 Properties of matter 3 Introduction The First Children’s Encyclopedia is divided into Using this book ten colour-coded chapters so you can see what you are In these pages you can find a country looking for at a glance: and discover its major features, look at Our world culture and history, and observe wildlife People and society and ecosystems. You can also explore the History of people world of science – from how technology Human body works to what’s going on inside the The living world Ecosystems and habitats human body. Enjoy a thrilling journey! Age of the dinosaurs Science and technology What’s what on a page? Planet Earth The pages have special features The universe that show you how to get your hands The Curiosity quiz will get on as much information as possible! you searching through each section to find the pictures. Look out for these: The living world The living world Curiosity quiz The living world Look through The Insects such as living world pages and Our amazing world is filled with millions butterflies are Snake invertebrates. see if you can identify of species, or types, of living thing. They the pictures below. can be as big as an elephant or so Plants small you have to look through Plants cannot move Spider around like animals. To Dragonfly a microscope to see them. survive and grow, they Animals Micro-organisms have to make their own Micro-organisms are very food. In turn, plants The animal kingdom is tiny – they are made up provide food for many made up of vertebrates of a single cell. This amoeba is animals and fungi. (animals with a backbone) magnified more and invertebrates (animals than 100 times. Signs of life without a backbone). Living things share some characteristics. They all Mammals, birds, Sunflower need food and oxygen. They reptiles, amphibians, also grow, reproduce, and Coral reef and fish are vertebrates. adapt to their environment. Fungi Tree frog Fungi (like toadstools, mushrooms, and moulds) Deer are neither plants nor animals, but they’re more like plants than animals. Fungi Become an expert 126-127 Types of animals 148-149 How plants work 122 species. animal all of cent per 97 up make they – Invertebrates 123 Which group of animals has the most members? Become an expert tells you where to look for more information on related subjects. 4 There is a question at the bottom of each page. Using this book Text gives you information Hands on about a subject. Want to try Materials science Properties of matter Safety Compressibility glass something for yourself? Gases can be Properties of matter squashed, or What they are... compressed, by Then look at a Some materials are hard and squeezing more There are many different brittle, while others are flexible. into the same properties of matter. space. This is what Some materials are colourful, while happens when you “Hands on” Boilingtip. point is the pump up a tyre. hottest a liquid can get others are transparent. These kinds Brittleness Foot pump before becoming a gas. of features are called “properties”. Some materials, such as glass, are Gas can be compressed very brittle and will break when because its particles are far Freezing point is the pushed out of shape. Safety glass is apart. A bicycle pump pushes temperature at which A cork floats on oil. the particles closer together. a liquid becomes a solid. Oil floats on water. designed to crack rather than break. Diamond is the hardest Hardness Gas particles mineral. Plasticity is how well Does it float? 9 a solid can be reshaped. A scientist called Friedrich Mohs created a Corundum It’s easy to learn about scale of ten minerals to compare how hard they some properties, such are. Many materials are graded on this scale. 10 Conductivity is how well as the ability to float. Diamond Hands on tells you 5 a material lets electricity The amount of matter Apatite or heat travel through it. 6 7 8 in a certain volume of 4 Feldspar Quartz Topaz Fluorite how to get stuck in an object is called its Malleability is how well 2 density.