Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from BookLook Bloggers, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it
And now for a book that is perfect for your whole family,
as it will help you answer those pesky questions.....
Synopsis:
In the spirit of Schott’s Miscellany, The Magic of Reality, and The Dangerous Book for Boys comes Can a Bee Sting a Bee?—a smart, illuminating, essential, and utterly delightful handbook for perplexed parents and their curious children. Author Gemma Elwin Harris has lovingly compiled weighty questions from precocious grade school children—queries that have long dumbfounded even intelligent adults—and she’s gathered together a notable crew of scientists, specialists, philosophers, and writers to answer them.
Authors Mary Roach and Phillip Pullman, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, chef Gordon Ramsay, adventurist Bear Gryllis, and linguist Noam Chomsky are among the top experts responding to the Big Questions from Little People, (“Do animals have feelings?”, “Why can’t I tickle myself?”, “Who is God?”) with well-known comedians, columnists, and raconteurs offering hilarious alternative answers. Miles above your average general knowledge and trivia collections, this charming compendium is a book fans of the E.H. Gombrich classic, A Little History of the World, will adore.
Review:
Good luck getting this book BACK from your 8-10 yr old! There are SO many questions in this book that Miss Grace has asked me! I have to admit, the answers here are so much better than ones I gave. I loved the description of hiccups ("ghost gases moaning about band together"), the definition of love ("you jump off your own private planet to visit someone else's planet."), why is the ocean salty ("all the salt in our rivers ends up there"), why do monkeys like bananas (they like food on the go that is quick to eat), what's inside the earth ("imagine the core like an egg") and Francis Spurfford's description of God is perfect.
The topics are not 'dumbed' down, just simplified to their essence. And for most kids, that is all that they want in an answer. If they want more info, they'll ask for it, or ask to "Google it" as Miss Grace says when she has a quandry to answer.Their is a an Index, but it could be better cross referenced.(ie saltiness of ocean is listed under that, NOT under oceans), so if are trying to find something you already read, think of different ways it could be indexed.
This is a FUN book and I recommend it for all the kids on your shopping list this holiday season! It would also make a fun family or hostess present!
Good luck getting this book BACK from your 8-10 yr old! There are SO many questions in this book that Miss Grace has asked me! I have to admit, the answers here are so much better than ones I gave. I loved the description of hiccups ("ghost gases moaning about band together"), the definition of love ("you jump off your own private planet to visit someone else's planet."), why is the ocean salty ("all the salt in our rivers ends up there"), why do monkeys like bananas (they like food on the go that is quick to eat), what's inside the earth ("imagine the core like an egg") and Francis Spurfford's description of God is perfect.
The topics are not 'dumbed' down, just simplified to their essence. And for most kids, that is all that they want in an answer. If they want more info, they'll ask for it, or ask to "Google it" as Miss Grace says when she has a quandry to answer.Their is a an Index, but it could be better cross referenced.(ie saltiness of ocean is listed under that, NOT under oceans), so if are trying to find something you already read, think of different ways it could be indexed.
This is a FUN book and I recommend it for all the kids on your shopping list this holiday season! It would also make a fun family or hostess present!
About the Author:
Gemma Elwin Harris is a freelance writer and editor who has contributed to Time Out, Glamour, and the Sunday Times. A graduate of Cambridge University, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her young son and two very curious nieces inspired this book.
Gemma Elwin Harris is a freelance writer and editor who has contributed to Time Out, Glamour, and the Sunday Times. A graduate of Cambridge University, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her young son and two very curious nieces inspired this book.
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