Table Of ContentBIG QUESTIONS
from Little People . . . and Simple Answers
from
GREAT MINDS
Compiled by
Gemma Elwin Harris
DEDICATION
To Evie, Rosie, Eliza and Seth
EPIGRAPH
The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are
permitted to remain children all our lives.
Albert Einstein
CONTENTS
Dedication
Epigraph
Editor’s note
A BIG thank you
Are there any undiscovered animals?
Is it OK to eat a worm?
What are atoms?
Why are the grown-ups in charge?
Why is blood red, not blue?
How are dreams made?
How long would it take to walk around the world?
Why do we have music?
Do aliens exist?
Where does wind come from?
Why do we speak English?
Why did dinosaurs go extinct and not other animals?
Why do cakes taste so nice?
How do plants and trees grow from a small seed?
Why do monkeys like bananas?
Is the human brain the most powerful thing on earth?
What is global warming?
Why do I get hiccups?
Why is space so sparkly?
Why can’t animals talk like us?
How do story writers get ideas for characters?
How do cars work?
Why can’t I tickle myself?
Who had the first pet?
Why are planets round?
Can a bee sting a bee?
Why do we cook food?
How do you keep going when you’re losing in sport?
Why do wars happen?
Why do we go to the toilet?
Why do lions roar?
Why do we have money?
Who wrote the first book ever?
Why do elephants have trunks?
Why are some people mean?
How do trees make the air that we breathe?
If the universe started from nothing, how did it become something?
Why do people have different-coloured skin?
Will the North and South Poles ever melt completely?
Where does ‘good’ come from?
Why is the Sun so hot?
What is the most endangered animal in the world?
Why do girls have babies and boys don’t?
In Victorian times why did kids do all the work?
What is gravity, and why isn’t there any in space?
Why can’t we live forever?
How does water get into the clouds so it can rain?
Why do animals that fly have feathers, not including bats?
How does my brain control me?
How do chefs get ideas for recipes?
Are we all related?
How do they know all snowflakes are different?
Why does time go slowly when you want it to go fast?
Who first made metal things?
How do the bubbles get into fizzy drinks?
Why is the sky blue?
How do sportspeople concentrate when the crowd is noisy?
Do monkeys and chickens have anything in common?
How did we first learn to write?
Why do scientists look at germs, and why can’t I see them?
Do any people eat polar bears or lions?
Why does the Moon change shape?
Do numbers go on forever?
Where did the first seed come from?
Why was Guy Fawkes so naughty?
What do you have to do to get into the Olympic Games?
Who was the first artist?
What am I made of?
Why do penguins live at the South Pole but not the North?
How does an aeroplane fly?
What’s the strongest animal?
Who named all the cities?
Why is water wet?
What would I look like if I didn’t have a skeleton?
Are cows polluting the air?
How do writers think of their ideas?
Who invented chocolate?
Why do men grow beards and not women?
Is sugar bad for you?
How did they build the pyramids in Egypt?
Why is the sky dark at night?
What should you do when you can’t think what to draw or paint?
How do you make electricity?
Did Alexander the Great like frogs?
What are our bones made of?
If you’re on a boat with no food or water, what do you do?
How does my cat always find her way home?
What’s inside the world?
Who is God?
How many different types of beetle are there in the whole world?
How far away is space?
How does lightning happen?
Why are some people taller than others?
Why is wee yellow?
What was the biggest battle the Romans fought in?
Why do I get bored?
Are there really monsters living in our mouths called blackteria?
Why do we sleep at night?
Will we ever be able to go back in time?
How does fire get on fire?
Why do we have lots of countries, not just one big country?
What makes me me?
If a cow didn’t fart for a whole year and then did one big fart, would it fly into
space?
Why is the sea salty?
What is the internet for?
How did Michelangelo get so famous?
How do you fall in love?
If my stomach was unravelled how long would it be?
Why do we have an alphabet?
Why do I always fight with my brother and sister?
What are rainbows made of?
When did people start using recipes?
Why does the Moon shine?
Where do the oceans come from?
Why do snails have shells but slugs don’t?
Out-takes!
Contributors
Index
About the Author
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
EDITOR’S NOTE
My son is two years old and already the questions have started. Recently he
pointed at the moon as we hurried home from nursery and asked, ‘What dat?’
For now, ‘That’s the moon’ will do as answer, but I know it won’t be long before
I’m struggling to explain what the moon is made of, how far away it is, and
whether a goldfish could survive there.
The questions children ask are often baffling. Chances are, if you ever knew
the answer – or even part of the answer – you’ve probably forgotten it or can
only remember a half-baked version of the truth. Imagine if you could turn to a
well-known expert at this point and get them to answer for you, in language
simple enough for a child to understand. This was the idea behind BIG
QUESTIONS.
With the help of ten elementary schools, we asked thousands of kids between
the ages of four and twelve to send us the questions they most wanted answered.
The results were fascinating and funny. There were cute and quirky questions,
like ‘Why is space so sparkly?’, ‘Who had the first pet?’ and ‘Can a bee sting a
bee?’ Others were fiendishly difficult: ‘How is electricity made?’ or ‘Where do
oceans come from?’ And a few shot straight to the heart of a deep philosophical
conundrum: ‘Why do we have wars?’, ‘How do we fall in love?’ and ‘Where
does good come from?’
Among their hand-written replies we found a lot of questions involving
bodily functions. ‘Why is wee yellow?’ seemed to be a recurring concern. The
mysteries of space clearly obsessed many children, and it’s no surprise that
animals – chickens, cows and monkeys – popped up frequently. There was even
one question, of great genius, that encapsulated all the above – a perfect storm of
cows, bowels and space travel: ‘If a cow didn’t fart for a year and then did one
big fart would it fly into space?’
What would world experts say, when faced with these questions? The
response from our panel has been staggering and heart-warming. However busy,
Description:Illuminating and essential, Big Questions from Little People is a timeless gift, a handbook for curious children and their perplexed parents. Many of the questions children ask in the course of growing up can stump even the best educated adult: Why can't I tickle myself? Are we all related? Who name
