The Big Book of Questions & Answers

This is a huge compendium of all kinds of information! There is so much in this book that it is definitely not something you could ever read cover to cover. With over 280 pages, this is an incredible resource for all sorts of subjects and a full index in the back of the book for general topics. This is only one book in a series of Big Books, which also include The Big Book of Jokes & Riddles, The Big Book of Search & Find, and The Big Book of Seek & Find. The Big Book of Questions & Answers is not only the kind of book you could plunk down in front of a curious child who keeps asking “why, why why”, but also an educational resource for adults! The text was written by three authors: Jane Parker Resnick, Rebecca L. Grambo, and Tony Tallarico who is also the illustrator.

The information ranges so widely across subject areas that there will almost always be something new to learn. Some of the information is covered in school, like “What happens when water freezes?” (p. 150), but other information is purely trivia and for fun. For example, “Where is the world’s BIGGEST gingerbread house?” on page 166. Turns out it’s in Iowa, of all places! From randomly turning pages through this book, I now have a reason to visit Iowa that I never had before. Each page has three to four questions in bold letters that are answered underneath in approximately one paragraph. Each question also has a playful illustration to accompany the question. Often the pictures are talking and commenting along with the typed answer.

On my last day of tutoring this semester, I took this book with me to share with some 5^th graders. At first they were unsure of what I was putting before them, but when they realized they weren’t being forced to learn anything and I just wanted them to look, they were much more interested. They were fascinated with questions about weather and dinosaurs and exotic animals. At one point we were discussing populations of the world and I was temporarily concerned with the publication date of the book, but after checking I found that it was published in 2006, more recently than I had imagined. The illustrations look older, 1990s or maybe even 1980s, and are done with watercolor and paint. I was amazed that drawings were created for each fact, but it only adds to the charm.