Gina Misiroglu

This is the second edition of The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents). It's a fun book of answers to questions kids 4 thru 16 (or so) are likely to ask about the world around them. It has about 800 questions and answers which seems like quite a lot to me. The focus is on the broad sorts of questions kids ask. Like why is the sky blue? And who was the first man in space? It is not, however, like an encyclopedia where you would send a child who has to do a paper on Helen Keller. (It's more fun than that.)

I was excited to receive this copy because my kids, like everyone elses, are little balls of frenetic inquiry. And I've found that while I might know the answer, that I can't always find the words I want to use that are best for answering their questions. Happily, Gina Misiroglu has come up with some great answers to help me (and others) out.

Here are the Chapter Headings so you can get a feel for the range of topics that are covered.

1. Outer Space
2. Planet Earth and Our Moon
3. Creatures Big and Small
4. Plant Life
5. People Around the World
6. Politics and Government
7. How Things Work
8. Math, Measurement and Time
9. All About My Body
10. Daily Life

And here are some Sample Questions from each chapter so you can see just how much is stuffed into this book.

1. Outer Space
How did the universe begin?
Who was the first woman in space?

2. Planet Earth and Our Moon
How old is the earth?
Why is the ocean salty?

3. Creatures Big and Small
Which is the biggest dinosaur?
Why do zebras have stripes?
What do worms eat?

4. Plant Life
What is the largest plant in the world?
Is poison ivy really poisonous?

5. People Around the World
Why did people begin exploring?
Where are the largest factories located?
What are barns used for?

6. Politics and Government
How many countries are there?
What does the U.S. government do?
Which state was once an independent kingdom?

7. How Things Work
How does a cable car stop and go?
How do boats float?
How does a fax machine work?
What are bar codes?

8. Math, Measurement and Time
What is so special about the number 2?
What is a googol?
What is horsepower?
How are the months of the year named?

9. All About My Body
What causes "growing pains"?
How did my life begin?
Which hair grows fastest?
What is a healthy diet?

10. Daily Life
Why do people become disabled?
What kind of household pets are common around the world?
Should I tell my parents I'm being bullied?

Talking Points:::
To me, the key to evaluating a book of this kind is how it answers difficult questions. I mean it's hard enough to come up with kid-friendly answers for questions like 'why do dogs bark', but imagine how difficult it could be to answer questions like "Who is God?" or "Why do some women wear veils?" I thought Gina Misiroglu handled these issues very even handedly, and in a way that was informative and respectful. In the case of women with veils, her answer was neither denigrating of the tradition, nor did it disregard the fact that to some the veil signifies the restricted freedom of the women in those cultures. In regards to the question about God, she principally addresses the various viewpoints of monotheistic religions, but doesn't leave out the fact that other peoples believe in multiple gods.

Another thing that I liked about the book was that there were different length answers. It seemed to me that the shorter ones were associated with the questions that younger children were likely to ask. whereas when it came to more complex questions -- the sort older kids might ask-- there were longer answers. So that "What is outer space?" had 3 sentence answer, while "Is the universe expanding?" was 2 paragraphs long.

There are color pictures that supplement many of the answers, and you should know that the pages are sturdy and of a good weight.

I would have loved to have had this book as a kid. I would have sat and perused it every week to learn things.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer at my blog… (altro)

Loved this book! I've had fun reading, and rereading different things in this book. Both to myself, and aloud to my kids. I like how this book is divided into chapters. There is also a handy index at the back to help direct you to the question and answers.

The book is made of high quality paper that can handle the abuse of a well read/thumbed book. It has incredible pictures that help tell the stories behind some of the answers as well. Here are a couple of questions from the book:

Why do people speak different languages?

Why do I cry?

How can fish breathe underwater?

Why do women in some countries wear veils?

How did my life begin?

How does my body know to wake up when morning comes?

I used to have a book similar to this as a kid. While the other book from my younger days was geared more toward 4-6 year olds, this is more for the older kids. Yet, it's not hard to understand, or explain to my 3 & 7 year olds. This book has more sophisticated questions, but questions that get asked by kids who are school age. I couldn't help but compare the two books while reading this one, and I love them both! I can't wait to use this book as a resource for some reports or homework that my little one's have someday. I hope to help them learn about looking things up and finding the answers via books instead of always using Google!

Overall, I can highly recommend this book. Both for parents and kids, this book is an easy to read and understand reference to odd questions that might be hard to find via other venues.… (altro)

Book Overview

Kids ask a lot of questions, and sometimes adults don't know all the answers. (Shocking, I know!) So this book provides answers to 800 questions that kids often ask and that the adults in their lives might not be able to answer. The book is divided into 10 different sections, including:

1. Outer Space (topics covered include Mysteries of the Universe, Planets and the Solar System, Space Exploration)
2. Planet Earth and Our Moon (topics covered include Clouds and Storms, Volcanoes and Earthquakes, Going Green)
3. Creatures Big and Small (topics covered include Dinosaurs and Ancient Life, Bugs, Fish and Sea Creatures, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians)
4. Plant Life (topics covered include Seeds and Growth, Trees, Plants that Help and Heal)
5. People Around the World (topics covered include Languages and Cultures, City Life, Farm Life)
6. Politics and Government (topics covered include Countries, Wars, Governments, U.S. State Facts and Trivia)
7. How Things Work (topics covered include Buildings, Communication and Electronic Devices, Flying High)
8. Math, Measurement and Time (topics covered include Numbers and Counting, Weights and Measures, Calendars and Telling Time)
9. All About My Body (topics covered include Bones and Joints, Muscle Power, Blood, Senses, Eating and Drinking, Sickness and Health)
10. Daily Life (topics covered include Families, Pets, Going to School, Bicycle Tips, Safety Tips, Tough Questions like Divorce, Death and God)

Each section has a series of questions related to the main topic and a short but thorough answer. Many of the questions are accompanied by full-color photographs or drawings (100 in all). Most questions are answered in a single paragraph, but other questions are answered in several paragraphs if the topic warrants. The answers are direct and to-the-point but careful to be accurate and thoughtful. For example, consider this question and answer:

How many planets are there?
Scientists do not know how many planets there are in the universe. However, eight planets orbit the Sun. They are Mercury (which is closest to the Sun), Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

If you were thinking: "Hey wait. There are nine planets! What about Pluto?" Well, the answer to "Why isn't Pluto a planet anymore?" is provided on p. 6. (Poor Pluto got demoted to "dwarf" planet status.)

In addition to answering straightforward science-type questions, the book also tackles questions in more "gray" areas such as "Who is God?" and "Where do people go after they die?" and "Does it hurt to die?" The author is careful to give non-judgmental answers to these "loaded" questions, and I personally was happy to have some help with the "Who is God?" question.

The end of the book includes a list of books and web sites for additional information, and the book includes an index for quick reference.

The book is written in easy-to-understand language that older children would be able to comprehend on their own. For younger children, the answers are easy for parents to paraphrase or shorten as needed.

My Thoughts

When I was offered a review copy of this book, I jumped at the chance. My 5-year-old son is always asking me questions that I find difficult to answer or don't have any clue about. Here are just a few of the questions he's asked me in the last year:

* How did the first person come alive?
* What is the last number?
* Who is God?
* Where does God live?
* Where is Grandpa now that he died?
* When will I die?

Needless to say, I need all the help I can get! He also asks more common questions such as "Why is the sky blue?" and "Why are rain clouds gray instead of white?" and "What does poison ivy look like?" (Fortunately, there was a photo of poison ivy in the book. We had taken a walk this spring and I kept telling him to stay on the path in case of poison ivy but couldn't tell him what it looked like, even though he asked 10,000 times. I just kept saying "It has three leaves, I think.")

I'm also the type of person who has no idea how things like electricity works or how cars run so it is useful to me to have an answer that is easy for both him and me to understand. I like having a book where I can quickly look up the answer instead of running to the computer and trying to find an answer and then "translate" the answer to a level appropriate for his age.

Besides being a useful resource for answering tough questions, I think the book is just interesting. I found myself reading some of the sections just to satisfy my own curiosity, and I can easily envision curious kids devouring this book.

Does this book have the answer to every question you might be asked by your child? Of course not. No book could possibly do that. However, the book seems to cover all the major bases and is a great tool to have at your disposal.

My Final Recommendation

I can't imagine a parent who wouldn't find this book helpful (unless you had the misfortune to give birth to a "know it all" who doesn't ask any questions). With 800 questions answered succinctly and at a level appropriate for children, this book is a great resource for parents who don't want to answer a child's question with "I don't know" or "It just is."… (altro)