{"product_id":"book-of-whys","title":"The Book of Whys","description":"\u003cb\u003eFactual as well as whimsical, and humorously illustrated, this is the first English-language publication of the answers given by one of Italy's greatest and most beloved children's authors to children's questions about animals, nature, technology, and culture.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGianni Rodari is widely regarded as the father of modern Italian children's literature. A firm believer in the great intelligence of children, he worked both as a teacher and a journalist. For a number of years, children across Italy sent their questions to his weekly newspaper column-questions Rodari answered, most inventively, with rhymes and little poems. \u003ci\u003eWhy didn't he reply with facts alone?\u003c\/i\u003e Because he wanted to provoke children into thinking about questions, norms, and language itself. \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Whys\u003c\/i\u003e collects a selection of these questions-from \"Why does an elephant have a trunk?\" to \"Why does a car need fuel?\" to \"Why are we born?\"-along with Rodari's answers, which beautifully serve to highlight the complexities, simplicities, and absurdities of our world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith a fresh translation from Antony Shugaar, who also translated Rodari's \u003ci\u003eTelephone Tales\u003c\/i\u003e (the 2021 Batchelder Award winner), and playful illustrations in colored pencils from artist JooHee Yoon (\u003ci\u003eBeastly Verse; \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Tiger Who Would Be King\u003c\/i\u003e, a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Best Illustrated Book of 2015; \u003ci\u003eInside Out and Upside Down\u003c\/i\u003e), \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Whys\u003c\/i\u003e is a playful, surprising, and poetically informative book for all those who are curious about the world and ready to play with the ways things are.","brand":"ABRAMS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42664329084964,"sku":"9781592703647","price":39.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0725\/9734\/0196\/files\/9781592703647.jpg?v=1774837226","url":"https:\/\/thamesandhudson.com.au\/products\/book-of-whys","provider":"Thames \u0026 Hudson Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}