DK Pocket Genius: Earth

The photographs of different rock formations are stunning, and my son actually enjoyed reading about how deserts form. It's a nice compact size for throwing in a backpack during hikes.

My kids can't get enough of the clear diagrams showing how mountains and deserts form. The small size is perfect for their backpacks, and they actually fight over who gets to read it first.

I grabbed this for a long flight and ended up reading half of it before we even took off — the section on how mountains form is surprisingly clear for such a compact book. The photos of different cloud types really stuck with me.