I must confess here too that just reading to my children for 30 minutes a night is, perhaps, some of the best 30 minutes of my entire day.

Uncover the mysteries of time, space and life on earth in this extraordinary book – a journey from the centre of the planet, to the dawn of the dinosaurs, and everything in between. Remember, “If you burned this book now, its matter would be changed to ash and smoke, but the total amount of ‘stuff’ in the universe would be the same.

Everyone needs more understanding of the world around us and the history of science is sadly neglected in our schools ('much more important than the history of monarchs). A Short History of Nearly Everything by American-British author Bill Bryson is a popular science book that explains some areas of science, using easily accessible language that appeals more to the general public than many other books dedicated to the subject. The personages have to be historical, apparently, as it takes the atoms some decades to become thoroughly redistributed; however much you may wish it, you are not yet one with Elvis Presley. In it, he explores time from the Big Bang to the discovery of quantum mechanics, via evolution and geology.

I was aware that this is an abridged, illustrated and watered down version of A Short History of Nearly Everything, targeted at a younger audience. More thinking, more learning, more questions – luckily there are plenty of answers as well, useful reminders, and even lessons to learn.If I had to criticize this book for something, I'd say there is a bit of a incongruence between the YA label and Bryson the narrative's tone.

Curiously, this little wonder does leave you feeling that one person truly can make a difference -- whether for good or evil.It had an illustration that captivated him–a diagram showing Earth’s interior as it would look if you cut into it with a large knife and removed about a quarter of its bulk. As the name says, it covers everything from cosmology to evolution, in a fantastic way that even children can understand in a way that makes sense. Her lab books are kept in lead-lined boxes and those who wish to see them must put on protective clothing. The fact that Mother Nature sends out hundred's of billions of tons of carbon dioxide via volcanoes and dead and decaying flora and fauna was an interesting fact I had neither heard nor considered before now. Some parts were completely beyond them; the structure of DNA and the basics of genetics were a real struggle; I would have been better skimming over that section.

Bill Bryson wrote this book because he was dissatisfied with his scientific knowledge—that was, not much at all. When we die our atoms will disassemble and move off to find new uses elsewhere—as part of a leaf or other human being or drop of dew.Some of it was, of course, and even if some things were vaguely familiar, I've never fully understood them, so it was good to have a simple, concise introduction to them. Bill Bryson’s own fascination with science began with a battered old school book he had when he was about ten or eleven years old.