Kid Konnection: DK Books

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to share with you a few fun, yet educational books by DK Publishing.

Summary: The most trusted nonfiction series on the market, Eyewitness Books provide an in depth, comprehensive look at their subjects with a unique integration of words and pictures. *Now reissued with a CD and wall chart! 

Eyewitness: Medieval Life gives the reader an in-depth look at life from the end of the Dark Ages to the Renaissance in the 15th century, in both the town and the country, and for the peasants as well as the aristocracy. Featuring artifacts, costumes, furniture, and historical illustrations, Medieval Life is a unique and compelling introduction to the people and culture of the Middle Ages. -- DK Publishing

Summary: The most trusted nonfiction series on the market, Eyewitness Books provide an in depth, comprehensive look at their subjects with a unique integration of words and pictures. *Now reissued with a CD and wall chart! 

Previously published as Eyewitness: Flying Machine, Eyewitness: Flight is a spectacular and informative guide to the fascinating world of aircraft. Superb color photographs offer a unique "eyewitness" exploration of the history of flight, and provide a close-up view of the many different types of aircraft in use today, how to keep an airplane flying straight and level, and more. -- DK Publishing

MEDIEVAL LIFE and FLIGHT are two wonderful books in the Eyewitness Books series. If you aren't familiar with the Eyewitness Books series, you definitely need to check them out. They are fantastic for kids who want to learn (and probably for those who aren't quite as excited!) As far as I'm concerned, Eyewitness Books are the go-to children's books for education and school research projects. They are filled with tons of illustrations and photographs, and they have loads of facts and figures which are guaranteed to keep kids' attention. I really can't rave enough about these books.

MEDIEVAL LIFE features life in medieval Europe from a country manor to the streets of a town, while FLIGHT focuses on all of the different machines that man has created to soar through the skies. Both books are interesting in their own right. I'm not entirely sure that most kids can sit down and read the entire way through these books although I know a few that might do just that. Rather, since these books are almost like mini-encyclopedias about specific subjects, I think they are best appreciated in bits and pieces.

Booking Son is a little young for these books since they are aimed at ages eight and up; however, he did enjoy looking at the various pictures and photographs. He isn't quite ready to read this many words per page yet, so we decided to read just some of the captions for the pictures. He seemed to love all the interesting trivia. As a mom, I appreciate that the Eyewitness Books appeal to kids of all ages (even adults!); and I like that they grow with the reader. I have a feeling that every time a child picks up one of these books, he or she will learn something new.

I was excited to see an added bonus to MEDIEVAL LIFE and FLIGHT. Both books have clip-art CDs encased in the front cover as well as a removable poster in the back of the book. I know I would have loved these features as a kid (of course, I didn't even know what clip-art or computers even were!)

I think DK Eyewitness Books are sure to be a hit with kids and parents alike! Highly recommended!

Summary: The 3D series combines DK's classic reference approach with cutting edge augmented reality technology to create an incredible interactive experience! 


Lighthearted, enticing, and fun, the text in each book is packed with information to give a comprehensive overview of the subject. But there's more! Spread throughout the book are special activating boxes that indicate the presence of digital pop outs that when held up to a webcam attached to your PC, feature amazing 3D digital animation on the screen! Using the magic of augmented reality, these animations are superimposed on a live image of the book and its actual surroundings, making it appear as if they're really in the room with you-a miracle of modern technology that has to be seen to be believed.

3D Dinosaur is filled with incredible 3D dinosaur animations that literally leap right off the page!

The text is packed with information to give a comprehensive overview of the fiercest creatures that ever lived and the world they inhabited, while the digital pop outs that emerge onscreen illustrate and expand on the ideas presented. As the reader marvels at the fearsome jaws and snarling reconstructions, they'll learn about the anatomy, diet, and behavior of dinosaurs and how paleontologists piece together the past. -- DK Publishing

Summary: The 3D series combines DK's classic reference approach with cutting edge augmented reality technology to create an incredible interactive experience!


Lighthearted, enticing, and fun, the text in each book is packed with information to give a comprehensive overview of the subject. But there's more! Spread throughout the book are special activating boxes that indicate the presence of digital pop outs that when held up to a webcam attached to your PC, feature amazing 3D digital animation on the screen! Using the magic of augmented reality, these animations are superimposed on a live image of the book and its actual surroundings, making it appear as if they're really in the room with you-a miracle of modern technology that has to be seen to be believed.

Discover the world of the human body, recreated with incredible augmented reality animations!

3D Human is filled with incredible 3D body animations that literally leap right off the page! Through the magic of augmented reality technology, you can see jumping skeletons, beating hearts, and other body systems come to life on the screen of your PC, appearing to be right in the room with you. -- DK Publishing

I also received another fantastic set of DK books called 3-D DINOSAUR and 3-D HUMAN BODY. Booking Son as immediately drawn to the dinosaur book, while Booking Daughter and I grabbed the human body one. Like the Eyewitness Book series, these 3-D books are also filled with amazing photography and loads of facts; and the benefits that I mentioned above also hold true for these books. However, instead of including a CD and poster, 3-D DINOSAUR and 3-D HUMAN BODY have 3-D animations incorporated into a few pages of the book!

To view the animations, you must download software from your computer. When you find the Augmented Reality (AR) spreads, you hold the book up to your computer's webcam. The AR animation will come to life and appear on the computer screen. You can also manipulate the animation by holding you hand over the numbered "trigger boxes." For example, you can see how the heart works in 3-D animation. Isn't that incredible?

I love how these Eyewitness and 3-D books make learning so much fun! Fortunately, there are many other books in both of these series. I can't wait to check them out with my kids!

Thanks to Media Masters Publicity for sending copies of these books.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!