How?: The Most Awesome Question and Answer Book About Nature, Animals, People, Places ¿ and You!

by Catherine Ripley, Scot Ritchie (Illustrator)

Overview

table of contents; Q&A format; index

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771473842
Publisher:	OWLKIDS BOOKS
Publication date:	07/16/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

CATHERINE RIPLEY is a former editor of Chickadee magazine as well as the author of several acclaimed children’s books. She lives in Fernie, British Columbia.

SCOT RITCHIE is an award-winning illustrator and author. His books have been translated into many languages, including French, Korean, Chinese, Finnish, Arabic and Dutch. He has worked with the National Film Board of Canada and had his illustrations exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada. As a freelancer Scot has been able to pack up his office and work in cities like Athens, Berlin, and Honolulu. He stays for a few months, convincing himself (he's quite impressionable) that he lives there. He actually lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Read an Excerpt

How do planes take off when they weigh so much?

It all has to do with engines, wings, and the air itself. Vro-o-o-o-m…powerful engines zoom the heavy plane forward super-fast. This is called thrust. Scho-o-o-m…air speeds over the wings. The special shape of the wings makes the air rush downward, and when the air rushes down, the plane is pushed up. This is called lift. Big, heavy airplanes need big, powerful engines to make the air move really fast. The faster the air moves, the more lift there will be to get the plane off the ground and keep it flying high in the sky.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 Happy birthday

How do balloons float?
Why do balloons pop?
How did birthday parties get started?
Why do we have noisemakers?
Why do we wrap presents?
How do I grow taller each year?
How does batter turn into cake?
Why do we sing the birthday song?
How do candles stay on fire?
Why is cake so yummy?

CHAPTER 2 Off to the library

Who invented the library?
How does the library get all its books?
How books are made?
Why are some books hardcovers and some paperbacks?
Why do I need to be quiet in the library?
Does reading make me smarter?
Why do libraries have computers?
How do computers know stuff?
How do librarians remember where all the books go?
Does every library have a restroom?
What happens when I check out a book?

CHAPTER 3 Pets, Pets, Pets!

Where do pets come from?
Why are dogs different sizes?
Do dogs dream?
Why do betas fight?
How do fish see underwater?
How come tarantulas are so hairy?
Why do cats purr?
How do parrots talk?
How do snakes eat really big stuff?
Why do hamsters go on a wheel?
Why do hamsters stuff their cheeks?

CHAPTER 4 Feeling Sick

How do I get sick?
Why do I throw up?
Why does the thermometer go in my ear?
Why do I get so hot when I’m sick?
How do I sneeze?
How do I catch somebody else’s cold?
Why do I have to get lots of rests when I’m sick?
When should I go to the doctor?
How is medicine made?
How does medicine work?

CHAPTER 5 Road Trip

How does the steering wheel turn the car?
Why are there so many different traffic signs?
Why are wheels round?
How are roads built?
How are bridges built?
Why does gasoline smell so strong?
Why are there speed limits?
On a sunny day, why does it look like there is water on the road again?
How come my sister gets car sick?
Who invented the first car?

CHAPTER 6 At the Beach

How does the sand get so hot?
How does all the sand get to the beach?
Why does wet sand work better for sandcastles?
Why do beaches have seagulls?
How do shells get so shiny?
Why do I hear the sea in a shell?
How do I float in the water?
Why is the ocean salty?
How are waves made?
Hey! Why does the water knock over my sandcastle?
How many whales are in the oceans?
Why does the sun burn me?

CHAPTER 7 Airport Good-byes

How do planes land so easily?
Who invented the airplane?
Why are there so many people at the airport?
How do X-rays work?
Where does my suitcase go?
Why do hugs make you feel so good?
Why does the security gate beep?
How do planes take off when they weigh so much?

Editorial Reviews

a must-have for the home bookshelf or the primary classroom, good for quick consultations or for browsing early readers who want their answers NOW.

Booksforkidsblog.blogspot.ca

...invariably clear and easy to understand...the real fun lies in wandering, enjoying the illustrations, and flipping through the pages until a question grabs your attention.

Quill & Quire - Chelsea Donaldson

A great resource where children can seek out answers to their questions about all sorts of daily experiences…As a tool of inquiry, it teaches children how to begin to probe more deeply into the hows and whys of the world.

Professionally Speaking - Yovita Gwekwerere

An exceptional and welcome companion to last year's Why?

Sal's Fiction Addiction - Sally Bender

Praise for Why?:
". . . A fabulous book for kids who just can’t stop wondering about the world around them . . . Why? will help nurture a playful, scientific curiosity in early-school-aged children." — Today’s Parent



- Parents' Choice Award (recommended), 2012

From the Publisher

Lightweight answers to FAQs about such subjects as birthdays, libraries, pets and road trips. In question-and-answer format--with each one allotted a two-page spread and accompanied by Ritchie's loose-line, pastel-colored artwork--Ripley fields a range of questions. They include how batter turns into cake and how birthday candles stay on fire, why hamsters run on wheels and why they stuff their cheeks with food, why you hear the sea in a seashell and why the ocean is salty. The answers are both fruity with humor and specific as to the immediate explanation, but there is not much meat on the bones to many of the answers, even for the intended age group. This is true especially when it comes to secondary clarifications that would deepen understanding, because these answers are going to elicit plenty more "hows" and "whys." Some of the questions ignite the "duh" factor: "Why do we wrap presents? Because surprises are fun! And because wrapping makes gifts look extra special." There is a modest sense of repetition: "Why are some books hardcover and some paperback? Because different readers like different kinds of books!" (nor does the extended response do any better a job of answering the question) and "Why are dogs different sizes? Different dogs for different folks!" Then come really sharp explanations as to why tarantulas have hair and why gasoline has a strong odor. An uneven effort that is too often unhelpfully simplistic. (Nonfiction. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews