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Emily Adamson: emilyadamson@quinnbrein.com
Phone: 206-842-8922

The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids:
All-New Edition Set for August 2007 Release

The Old Farmer's Almanac has announced the all-new, 192-page Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids. Set to be released in August 2007, The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids, Volume 2, will be available throughout the United States for just $9.95 (and in Canada for $11.95 Canadian) at retail stores and in the children's sections of bookstores.

With its full-color design and easy-to-read format, The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids is a playground for a young person's imagination and curiosity.

Based on the Old Farmer's Almanac (beloved by readers young and old since 1792!), the second kids' edition spotlights the subjects for which the Almanac is best known-astronomy, nature, farming, gardening, history, and, of course, the weather. The informative and amusing stories, featuring hundreds of wacky and fascinating facts, will appeal to kids of all ages.

In addition, a number of interactive projects encourage kids to look at the world around them in new ways. Projects include instructions on how to grow a square watermelon, make a gourd birdhouse, assemble a time capsule, and find meteorites using a broom handle and magnet. There's even a recipe for "dirt" cake! (Don't worry: The "dirt" is actually Oreo cookies and pudding. We do share how and why several cultures throughout history choose to eat actual dirt. Yecchh!)

We'll tell you about even more projects and activities in a moment. First, take a peek at a few of the facts (all part of feature articles) that can be found inside The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids:

• The gigantic ball of energy known as the Sun is as wide as 109 Earths placed side by side.
• One bushel of corn contains about 72,800 kernels and sweetens more than 400 cans of soda.
• In 1916, Charles Mallory Hattfield, also known as the "Cloud Coaxer," was paid $10,000 by the city of San Diego to make it rain. (His methods may have worked a little too well!)
• Some farmers in Australia and Scotland have been known to put braces on sheep's teeth so that they can eat properly.
• The world's largest ice pop was 21 feet tall, 7 feet 6 inches wide, 3 feet 7 inches thick, and weighed more than 10 tons!
• A toad swallows by sinking its eyes down through its skull so that they press on the roof of its mouth to help push food down the throat. This action makes the toad look like it's blinking.
• It takes 50 licks, on average, to eat a single-scoop ice cream cone.
• Occasionally, when African dust storms blow across the Atlantic, swarms of large grasshoppers get caught up in them and travel all the way to the Caribbean-alive.
• Kids inhale 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults do.
• Many people have BIG ideas when they dream. For example, former Beatle Paul McCartney came up with the tune for "Yesterday" (the world's most recorded song!) after a snooze.
• A dab of mayonnaise can remove bubble gum from hair, road tar from a bike or skateboard, and crayon marks from furniture!

That's not all: This Almanac for Kids has a companion Web site, too.

At Almanac4kids.com, kids, parents, and teachers can further explore the topics in the book with an array of pages in every topic with a free 11-chapter Activity Guide that is chock-full of entertaining and educational projects that correspond to or complement the articles in the Almanac for Kids. This instructional companion will help children to keep learning (and loving it!) throughout the year.

Also on the Web site, kids can send e-cards to family and friends, cast a vote in weekly polls, and watch (via Web cam) the weather and what's happening in Dublin, New Hampshire, the home of The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids.

The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids is one of several publications produced by Yankee Publishing Inc. of Dublin, New Hampshire. Yankee's family of products includes The Old Farmer's Almanac, The All-Seasons Garden Guide, and several themed calendars for 2008: Gardening, Country, and Weather Watcher's (all for wall display); Every Day (in the page-per-day format); a spiral-bound Engagement calendar; and a Weather Journal and Gardening Journal. New to the collection are two cookbooks-Blue Ribbon Recipes and Best Home Baking.

Folks who can not find The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids, Volume 2, in retail stores or in the children's sections of bookstores can order individual copies at Almanac.com or by calling 800-223-3166.