The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents)

403 Pages·2001·8.84 MB·English

by  Judy Galens

THE

HAN DY

AN SWE R

BO OK for

KIDS

(and Parents)

Judy Galens and Nancy Pear

THE
HANDY
ANSWER
BOOK
for
KIDS
(and Parents)
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THE
HANDY
ANSWER
BOOK
for
KIDS
(and Parents)
Judy Galens and Nancy Pear
Detroit
The Handy Answer Book™
for Kids (and Parents)
COPYRIGHT © 2002 BY VISIBLE INK PRESS®
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Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski
Typesetting: The Graphix Group
ISBN 1-57859-110-4
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Galens, Judy, 1968-
The handy answer book for kids (and parents) / Judy Galens
and Nancy Pear.
p. cm.
Includes index.
Summary: Answers a variety of questions about such topics as
nature, weather, geography, city and country life, technology, family
life, death, and disabilities.
ISBN 1-57859-110-4 (pbk.)
1. Children’s questions and answers. [1. Questions and answers.]
I. Pear, Nancy. II. Title.
AG195 .G25 2001
031.02—dc21 2001005608
CIP
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved
10 9 8 7 6 5
About the Authors
W
ith some preliminary experience answering a barrage of whos, wheres, whats, and
whyscoming from her young son Graham, Judy Galens was glad of the opportunity
this book gave her to satisfy her own curiosity and prepare for life as the Answer Mom.
Judy has worked on a wide array of reference books for kids and adults, covering sub-
jects from world music to food festivals, from hockey to weather. She has edited a
multivolume reference work on the Middle Ages, and she recently co-authored a book
for young people called Artists.
Nancy Pear wishes that she had had some of the information contained in The
Handy Answer Book for Kidsright at her fingertips when she was raising her own very
inquisitive child a while back. “He asked so many questions!” she recalls. Nancy has
worked as an author and editor of reference books for almost 20 years and has written
several works for young people. These include three books on explorers and discover-
ers and a three-volume set on strange phenomena.
v

Contents
INTRODUCTION xi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xv
EARTH, SKY, AND
BEYOND . . . 1
Up above the World So High . . . Weather Basics . . .
Features of Planet Earth
WORLD TOUR . . . 49
Geography Facts . . . Life in the Big City . . .
Down on the Farm
ME, MYSELF,
AND I . . . 77
Growing Up . . . The Brain . . . Bones and Muscles . . .
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow . . . The Skin I’m In
. . . Blood Matters . . . Hearing, Seeing, and
Smelling . . . Bathroom Talk . . . Feed Me . . .
Open Wide . . . What’s Up, Doc? . . . Sleepy Time
vii
OUR ANIMAL
NEIGHBORS . . . 133
Odds and Ends . . . Amazing Animal Behavior . . .
Insects, Spiders, and Worms . . . Fish and Other
Sea Creatures . . . Reptiles . . . Amphibians . . .
Birds . . . Mammals . . . A Day at the Zoo
TREES, FLOWERS,
AND OTHER GREEN
STUFF . . . 201
Plant Basics . . . Seed Facts . . . Flowers . . . The
Dark Side of Plants . . . Plants in Extreme Envi-
ronments . . . Spore-Bearing Plants . . . Trees . . .
Plants As Providers
HOW THINGS
WORK . . . 233
Transportation . . . Communication . . . Image Mak-
ers and Picture Takers . . . Lights and Lasers . . . Hot
and Cold . . . Energy
HOME LIFE AND
SCHOOL DAYS . . . 263
Around the House . . . Playing It Safe . . . Neigh-
borhood Transportation . . . Household Pets . . .
School Daze
MY FAMILY AND
FRIENDS . . . 297
Family Members . . . Getting Along . . . Death and
Dying
viii