Customer Reviews

The Book of How

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I cannot speak for this book. I have read "The Book of Why" and found it DISTURBING to say the least. This book is by the same authors, so I would go to the library and check out this book first before you buy. You may find it as inappropriate as I found "The Book of Why" to be.


This my review is from: The Book of Why (Hardcover)
I am a teacher who bought this book because I thought it would ask more scientific questions, and give simplistic answers on a 4-8 yr old level. I have NEVER seen such a book. It encourages kids into a one-answer-fits-all mindset and is a lesson onto itself in how to frame questions poorly. I expected to see.

What is the sun made of?
Why does the wind blow?
Why do bubbles float?
etc.

What I got was a book filled with questions framed as "absolutes" that impress attitudes on young children and encourage a mindless following mentality. I would go so far as to call this book anti-intellectual!

Questions like "Why am I afraid of the dark?", "Why do I get carsick?" and "Why do most kids [not like] spinach?" make young kids wonder if they SHOULD feel a certain way. Are those the seeds you want to plant in your child's mind? Some other 'gems' kids might not have thought of that parents will not appreciate are "Why won't our parents let us get a dog?" and my personal favorite "Why CAN'T we stop ourselves from lying?". Parents who value responsibility will love that last one and other lines like "...we aren't in full possession of our faculties [in the dark]..."

It states so many things as absolute that it lead to awkward and potentially dangerous situations for children "Why do children ALWAYS have to obey?" is not what you want your child to think when a stranger says "get in the car"!!!

"Why do parents ALWAYS want children to clean up?" The answer is apparently because they want children to have "organized minds"! Not only is this answer not fully true, its dumb. Is that really what you think as a parent? I don't know about you, but "being able to find your own toys when you want", "not tripping over toys and hurting yourself", and "not breaking your toys by stepping on them" all sound like good reasons to me.

The book is filled with questions framed as absolutes and answers that are not only vague and overly complicated they are simply untrue. As an adult I am often left questioning the question. "How can we go on living when someone we love dies?"...how is a literal minded kid going to interpret that? "Why do we resemble monkeys?" well we don't...we resemble apes. "How do we know what we want to be when we grow up?" There is something wrong with this question...How do we know what we want?...Maybe in place of know the author meant learn or find out. "Can someone steal my soul while I sleep?" WHAT!?! Why would I want my kid to even consider this a possibility? Isn't the world scary enough for a 4-8 yr old?

Some of the answers are equally puzzling, being either incomplete or untrue. "Why do we put people in prison?" to punish them and it's right because we all agree! No mention is made of the REAL purpose of prisons - protecting society.

The book often loses its 4-8 yr old audience. Sometimes this book asks questions that are so complex and multifaceted they are well beyond the scope of answer given, encouraging single-minded one-answer-fits-all thinking in children.

For example "Why do people cry?" is VERY COMPLEX neurological, psychological, sociological, evolutionary, and physiological question. The answer given is largely scientific and seems to forget its audience. Concepts like "cornea", "Membrane", and "psychological pain" are a bit much for 4-8yr old. The final conclusion for this question is that "crying is GOOD for you... one of the best ways of cleansing the body." Again NOT TRUE! Crying to manipulate others is not good for you, and children who believe that crying is something they SHOULD do quickly learn the power tears have to control others. Is that what you want?

"Why do we fall out of love?" and "At what age do we fall in love?" REALLY!?! For a 4-8 yr old?

This book practically indoctrinates children into a faith-based mindset NEARLY ALL religious people would disagree with. Questions favor Christianity, but nearly all Christians will be offended at some point. The book teeters wildly between intelligent design and scientific explanations, sometimes performing 180's in 2 pages. Freethinkers, Muslims, Jews, and especially Wiccans will find this book unsuitable for their children. It even switches between lowercase and uppercase spellings of God.

"Why don't we ALL worship the same god?" the answer "No one knows for sure what god is really like, so everyone imagines HIM is his or her own way" Questions like "WHAT makes the wind?" (not Why does the wind blow?) contains a picture of a child in front of a fan saying "it's the god of the wind's little brother"

Polytheism is practically a footnote (appearing once), the feminine divine or any idea contrary to God as a white guy with a beard is absent from illustrations. Wiccan's will find the question "Why are witches ALWAYS mean in children's stories" outright repulsive. Freethinkers will certianly not enjoy when the idea is briefly kicked around that God may not exist then very quickly met with the line "...believing in God means believing in life and the energy that allows us to grow."

Hopefully we all agree some lines are outright DISTURBING!!! "Isn't it comforting to imagine your little sister getting cooked in the bubbling brew of a witch's cauldron? Better her than you right?" WHAT!?!?!

Lines like "your eye is UNIQUELY designed"; "in the last century life expectancy has increased more than the last 5,000 years" and "Did God create Humans?" Seem to favor creationism as does the question "Why do we resemble monkeys?" "...Humans can think, reflect, remember, and anticipate what happens next to them! So if humans are MERELY monkeys who have evolved after years and years...That's some evolution" WOW!!! Implying monkeys are unable to remember or think is outright false, and the common misconception about evolution stating humans evolved from monkeys is once again propagated.

a COMPLETE 180 is on the very next page. "Why is there life on earth?" "approximately 4.5 billion years ago...microscopic bacteria slowly began to appear and evolved into numerous species." God is no where to be found in this answer.

but 3 pages later "Did God create humans?" The unflattering picture of God (bearded white guy) carving out a vaguely anatomically correct human 'failure' of a statue is bound to offend some. "...religions tell their own stories about how God (singular) created man. But their views are not necessarily in competition with scientists."

As if this book isn't bad enough already, Black people are jokingly called "chocolate" in an illustration about skin color. I am not kidding! page 62

The book is filled with "Godstuff" and its agenda is far from clear. Its not right for schools, and definitely not right for kids, no matter what their parent's faith is. Faith questions are best left to parents.

I suggest looking elsewhere for reading. Stephen Biesty's cross sections seem to fascinate kids. Large pictures with detailed explanations that will get your kid AND you involved. I have the Cross sections of life aboard a sailing ship and can't BELIEVE what sailors lives were like. It is literature that I would read on my own, but kids will love it just as much as you. That's family reading.

Reviewed by T.J. Rollins (age 13) for Reader Views (6/07)


A friend and I read "The Book of How." I did not read it all at once. I just looked through the topics and chose the ones I liked.

"The Book of How" answers questions like "How do you catch a cold,?, "How were castles built without cranes,?" and "How are tunnels built under water?." They were interesting.

The one about "How can you avoid setting the table?" was kind of boring. It sounded like something my mother would say to me. There were only a couple of spots like that. "How can I be accepted into a group?" was kind of dorky, too.

The cool thing about this book is that I can read it a few minutes here and there. I even read some while I was watching TV. I quizzed my parents on a few questions, such as "How did April Fools' Day come about?"

There are 87 pages in "The Book of How." There is an index, so you can skim through the subjects until you find one that may interest you. "The Book of How" is a great book. My brother (age 9) liked it, too.

Book received free of charge