Table of Contents
Introduction /6
Chapter 1 /8 Whipping Up a Batch of Planet Earth
There’s a whole amazing world below your feet (and all around you)
Why is ocean water salty? /10
Why is some water turquoise and some water brown? /11
If metal sinks, how do boats float? /12
How does gravity keep us down? /13
Where does wind come from? /14
Why can’t we feel the Earth moving? /15
What came first, the tree or the seed? /16
How do trees know about seasons? /17
Is there enough food in the world? /18
Why don’t cars run on apple juice? /19
Chapter 2 /20
Creeping, Crawling, Living Things
From the smallest to the tallest, animals are born to be WILD
Why do worms come out when it rains? /22
Why don’t jellyfish have brains? /23
Can rats burp? /24
Why do we have different faces but ants do not? /25
How do whales sleep? /26
Why can’t you live with a wolf? /28
If a dog says “woof” will other dogs understand? /29
What’s the smartest animal on Earth? /30
How many unfound species are there in the world? /31
Chapter 3 /32
Human Bodies from the Inside Out
The skin you’re in houses your brain, heart, and a whole lot more
Why do my toots smell? /34
Why do you always have to go to the bathroom? /36
Why is poo brown? /37
Why are we tired when we run? /38
Why can’t humans breathe underwater? /39
Why do humans have two eyes? /40
Why do teeth fall out? /41
Why is everybody different? /42
How do people think without language? /44
Why do people find things funny? Why is everyone so funny? /45
Why do people need to sleep? /46
Why do we die? /47
Chapter 4 /48
Stars, Moons, Planets, and Outer Space
Gazing into the night sky just got way more interesting
Are there other creatures on other planets? /50
How do the stars stay in the sky? /52
What happens inside a black hole? /53
Why are planets round? /54
Will another asteroid hit Earth? /55
If I were to sneeze in outer space, would my head blow up? /56
Can sound move in space? /57
What causes a solar eclipse? /58
Why do diamonds rain onto Saturn? /59
If the universe is expanding, then what’s outside the universe? /60
Chapter 5 /62
Big Ideas About Past, Present, and Future
Mind-blowing, keep-you-up-at-night scientific theories change our experience of EVERYTHING around us
How did we discover the Big Bang? /64
Why are dinosaurs so BIG? /66
How do we really know a meteor killed the dinosaurs? /68
What would the world be like if dinosaurs were still alive? /70
Can we make dinosaurs from dino DNA? /71
How did the Ice Age start? /72
What is time? /74
Is time travel possible? /75
What hasn’t been invented? /76
Conclusion /78
Acknowledgments /80
Sources and Further Reading /82
Index /86
About the Author and Illustrator /88
