Fastest, tallest, first ... you'll find lots of them, and more, in Guinness World Records 2024.
This year's book has the theme of 'blue planet' and features records related to subjects like the earth and sea, and their landmarks and animals, along with many new world records. There are more of them than you could count.
In keeping with the theme, one of the featured records is the largest octopus, the Giant Pacific Octopus, also known as the GPO, which can travel at up to 40km/hr. The largest GPO on record weighed in at 71 kg and was 4 metres in length.
As well as the world records themselves, there are also 'explainers' in each chapter, like a fabulous labelled diagram of the octopus, and a range of additional information, including the name of a new octopus species.
Many records are wild and wacky. Records like 'Most Smarties eaten with chopsticks while blindfolded in one minute' (the answer is 25). There are twelve records involving pogo sticks (including the highest back flip), records about collections (like the largest collection of Pokemon cards which stood at 32,809), and records about robots (the fastest bipedal robot can run 100 metres in 24.73 seconds). World record sporting achievements are included, and historical records are a special feature. There's also a special double-page spread highlighting some of the people aged under sixteen who set records.
Photos and diagrams provide an important illustrative element of Guinness World Records books and make for a busy visual experience. The cover and end papers for the 2024 edition are bright and beautiful, incorporating some of the record holders.
Guinness World Records 2024 is packed full of enough trivia, facts and figures to keep most readers entertained (and recounting what they learn) for a good long while.
Title: Guinness World Records 2024
Author/Illustrator: Guinness World Records
Publisher: Guinness, $
46.99
Publication Date: September 2023
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781913484408
For ages: 8+
Type: Non-Fiction
