Did You Burp?

June 15, 2019
What are questions, and what are they good for? On a beach, in a garden, visiting a museum, sitting in class with the president of the United States (a woman of color, as it happens), and elsewhere, a racially diverse and compulsively inquisitive group of children demonstrate the ins and outs of productive questioning: "Are you the new teacher?" "Is this a veggie burger?" "Do you know if walruses have ears?" "Where do you park Air Force One?" Sayre describes how speakers use words such as "who" or "where" plus intonation to formulate questions in English (with a brief excursion into Spanish: "Where is the gerbil?" "¿Dónde está el jerbo?"). In explaining that questions can express curiosity or care for others as well as simply act as requests for information, she also points out situational subtleties: "Did you burp, Madam President?" can be discomfiting in some contexts, for instance, but appropriate in, say, the course of a medical exam. She also suggests that "How" questions can "ask in a gentle way about feelings, tender topics, and complicated subjects," and that it's OK to make mistakes in the course of learning what works and when. Younger audiences, hard-wired to start asking questions from an early age, at last have a toolbox for formulating more and better ones. "So be brave," the author concludes. "Be bold. Ask questions!" Funny, thoughtful, and rewarding to read, no question. (Informational picture book. 6-9)

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August 1, 2019
Preschool-G A book about questions? Sayre helps young children, who are always inquisitive, understand questions' purpose, potential, and appropriateness. Digitally enhanced, patterned illustrations feature children with different skin tones, hair colors, and physical abilities in a variety of settings, from the classroom to the beach. In each locale, short text explains a facet of questioning, while the children provide examples through speech bubble questions and answers. The book begins with how questions originate, such as with a need to get information or from curiosity, and continues with how to ask them, particularly with words like who, when, and why. Educators will appreciate the section about asking the right questions at the right time. In this case, a school visit from a female president and the president getting a checkup in a doctor's office highlight the appropriateness of questions like How old are you? in different settings. And comments and stories? They're not questions! Sayre concludes with questions as catalysts to understanding the world around us, leaving readers wondering, why wasn't this thought-provoking book written sooner?(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)