Kira Vermond leads a double life. She's written more than 2,000 articles for adults as a journalist and seven nonfiction books for kids about money, puberty, geography, science, fads, and lies. In other words, she likes to mix things up. She lives in Guelph, Ontario.

"Science starts with a question in this fascinating compendium for curious kids. The team behind the acclaimed Why Don't Cars Run on Apple Juice? is back to tackle more kid questions like "Are birds really dinosaurs?" and "Why do we have butts?" With help from science center experts, Kira Vermond packs mind-boggling facts into answers that encourage further inquiry, covering topics over five sections: animals, the human body, planet Earth, tech and innovation, and outer space. From glowing scorpions and prehistoric sharks to stem cells and Mars missions, Suharu Ogawa's colorful, zesty illustrations enhance Vermond's lively tone."--

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