Reference This! Time for Kids BIG Book of Why

WHAT DOES http mean?

WHY WAS HARRY POTTER AN ORPHAN?

WHY WAS SECRETARIAT THE FASTEST RACE HORSE IN HISTORY?

WHY ARE MOVIES CALLED "FLICKS?"*

Bet you can't stop at just one question! And the 2011 edition of TIME for Kids BIG Book of Why: 1,001 Facts Kids Want to Know (Time for Kids Magazine) (Time for Kids, 2011) has 1001 intriguing answers for these and many other questions that most of us, can't fully answer. Some of the 1001 questions are the sort that most of us don't ever think to ask, e.g., why does a web address begin with http? At first glance this little book seems to be just for the short-term curious: pick it up, read the answer, and that's it. Why are basketballs orange? They once were an indifferent brown, but when games began to be televised, basketballs began to be colored orange to make them more visible on screen.

But the virtue of this small volume reference book is that some of its quirky questions can inspire further inquiry in the reader. Case in point: why do golf balls have dimples? Well, it seems they didn't always. When golfers noticed that old, nicked-up balls went farther, aerodynamicists got into the act and created the dimpled ball, a form which creates turbulent flow, with differences in the flow above and below the ball which add to its flight distance. That question leads to a whole other level of inquiry about how airflow affects the flight of moving objects--curve balls, airplanes, long jumpers, missiles.

To entice those who favor one particular subject area, TIME for Kids BIG Book of Why: 1,001 Facts Kids Want to Know (Time for Kids Magazine) is divided into ten subject divisions--Animals, Earth, Space, Humans, People and Places, History, Science, Technology, Art and Culture, Sports, backed up by an appendix which includes a glossary, index, Why Facts, and a bibliography of further reading. Once into these fascinating bits of information, 1001 facts may not be quite enough for 2011!

And for kids for whom 1001 facts aren't quite enough to amaze and delight their friends, there’s always Time Editors new TIME For Kids That's Awesome: The World's Most Amazing Facts & Records (Worlds Most Amazing Facts/Records).


*Answers: Hypertext transfer protocol is the format for internet text.

As she began the first book, author J.K. Rowling's mother had recently passed away, leaving her an adult orphan.

Secretariat's heart, at 22 pounds, was twice the size of a normal thoroughbred's.

Early movie films were hand-cranked, making them "flicker" on the screen.