{"product_id":"book-of-whys","title":"The Book of Whys","description":"\u003cp\u003e\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\u003e Gianni 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\u003e With 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Unity Books","offers":[{"title":"Book of Whys","offer_id":45588861518021,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0625\/6679\/3413\/files\/978-1-59270-364-7.jpg?v=1767658876","url":"https:\/\/unitybooks.myshopify.com\/products\/book-of-whys","provider":"Unity Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}