Enter The Weird World Of Ripleys (Ripleys Believe It Or Not 2006 - Robert Le Roy Ripley)

Member Name: wigglylittleworm

Product:	Ripleys Believe It Or Not 2006 - Robert Le Roy Ripley
Date:	12/09/08 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: brilliant pictures, wacky stories.

Disadvantages: none

Believe it or not I had not heard of the Ripleys series of books until my daughter picked up the 2006 book for pennies in a charity shop. The first thing that catches your eye is the stunning cover with its eyeball holograms giving the impression the eyes following you around, very creepy and unusual.

The book is split into a number of sections each containing a number of pictures and stories. Many of the pieces of text are only a paragraph long but every few pages there is either a full page or double page spread going into a bit more detail.

The first section is called off the wall which as the name suggests covers pretty much everything. I opened a page at random to find a picture of snake man Liu Lang perform his party trick of leading a snake through his nostrils and out of his mouth as well as Senol Demir the upside down barber.

The totally obsessed and taking life to the extremes sections makes you worry a bit about humanity. Highlights include Elaine Davidson, the worlds most pierced woman who has 1903 piercings and wants to reach the 2000 mark. She makes Kevin Thackwell, aka clothes peg man, who holds the world record for having 120 clothes pegs attached to his face look almost (but not quite) normal. Another obsessive is Andy Park who has celebrated Christmas every day since 1991 including watching the Queens speech and eating a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

The what are you like section contains even more human oddities including a 27.9 inch tall man, the worlds longest beard chain, a couple who got married in Asda and funny gravestones including the gem "Here lies the father of 29, he would have had more but he didn't have time".

Animal antics is a firm favourite with the kids. We've got the worlds largest dog at 282lb as well as a Chihuahua small enough to fit into a wine glass. There's a two headed sheep, a cockatiel who can sew and a doggy wedding.

Was that a good idea contains wacky inventions including the toilet with a built in aquarium and stupid criminals including the colour blind counterfeiter who used the wrong coloured dye on his bank notes.

This book is ideal for the 8+ age range. It is well researched, well laid out and beautifully illustrated with colour photos which will grab their attention and they will want to read more. The oddities will make them gasp in amazement as well as laugh at all the weirdos out there. It's the type of book that they will dip into again and again. There are also lists of facts interspersed throughout the book so they will also learn something from reading it. I'm sure mum and dad will also enjoy a quick flick through the book too.

My nephew is a typical little boy and as long as there are footballs to be kicked and video games to play he is not interested in books. The fact that he has sat down and voluntarily read this book is amazing, previously the only books I have seen him take an interest are his football annuals. This book went to live in the back of my car and the kids spent hours poring over it. The best part was seeing them cooperate; they would actually take turns reading sections from the book out to each other instead of the typical fighting and teasing that goes on. Being able to drive along without playing mediator makes the book worth its weight in gold.

The 2006 book is currently available on Amazons marketplace for a mere penny. The 2009 book is coming out in time for Christmas (rrp £17.99, Amazons price £10.99) and I will definitely be buying at least one copy to put under the tree.

Summary: Will keep the kids happy