Post by Mark T. Locker.

Pokémon Gotta Catch ‘em All! Deluxe Essential Handbook : the Need-to-know Stats and Facts on Over 700 Pokémon by Scholastic.

I’m too old to have caught the Pokémon fever when it first came out. I was vaguely aware of something called Pikachu and that there was a turtle named Squirtle. But as a parent I learned that the exciting world of the Pokémon card game never actually went away. My son has piles of cards, and binders full of these critters, sorted by type. There’s electric types and grass types and poison types. We’ve watched the cartoon a million times but every time he’s asked me what my favorite Pokémon is, I’ve only been able to say: what’s that one that looks like he has broccoli on his head?

There are hundreds of these guys out there and many change form as they evolve. Of course, nearly everyone knows that now. The wildly popular Pokémon Go! game has turned our entire planet into a game board with gyms, Pokéstops and weird little creatures everywhere.

Can I say that my kid was into it before it was cool?

Either way, if you or your kid (you can say it’s for your kid if you’re embarrassed—it’s okay, you’re not alone) are interested in making sure you have all the information you could ever need, then this Essential Handbook is probably something you need. Not only does it have a handy pronunciation guide, but it shows you all the evolutions and powers of each Pokémon. It even tells you weight and height. My son has an incredibly deep knowledge of this universe. We spot a silhouette of a Pokémon and he can tell you exactly what it is. As far as reference books go, this is less useful than the Farmer’s Almanac but way more interesting to kids and grown-ups of a certain ilk.