N A N T I I C R A B First Book of
can’t penguins fly? do we brush our teeth? does popcorn pop? The ultimate book of answers for kids who need to know
Penguins have blubbery fat and layers of special feathers to keep them warm in icy weather.
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en p eng uins sw like t im it looks a bit hey’r e flying – but u nderwater!
Why can’t penguins fly?
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Penguins aren’t built for flight. Their wings are too stumpy and their bodies too heavy. But their hefty, smooth bodies and stiff, flipper-like wings make them really good at something else – swimming! In fact, penguins spend most of their lives in water, because that’s where their food lives. They can swim faster and dive deeper than any other bird, making them amazing hunters.
WACKY FACT! Rockhopper penguins spend so much time in the sea that sometimes barnacles treat them like rocks and suction cup themselves to their feathers.
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It takes about 45 minutes to put on a spacesuit. These suits come with a supply of oxygen and even water for astronauts to drink. 4
Why do astronauts wear suits? A spacesuit protects astronauts from the extreme hot and cold temperatures of space and provides oxygen for them to breathe. While astronauts are in the space station, they are safe from outside temperatures and they have air to breathe, so they can just wear their normal clothes. But sometimes they have to go outside for a spacewalk. That’s when they put on these giant suits. Astronauts take spacewalks for different reasons: to do science experiments, to fix something, or to test new equipment.
WACKY FACT! Astronauts can spend up to eight hours on a spacewalk, so they wear special astronaut nappies in case they need a wee!
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Why do cats lick their fur? Adult cats spend about half of their waking life grooming. They spend hours licking their fur clean with their sandpaperrough tongues. Cats’ tongues are covered with thousands of tiny, hooked spikes called papillae. They act like a fine comb to remove dirt, loose hairs and pesky insects such as fleas. Licking also spreads out skin oil, which keeps their fur soft and shiny and helps seal it against cold and damp.
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WACKY FACT! Cats give themselves a good lick after eating to get rid of food smells. Being odourfree helps them sneak up on prey without being detected.
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Cats lick their kitty friends to show affection. They may even groom their human if they like them enough!
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Why do tortoises walk so slowly?
........... Tortoises are rarely in a hurry – they have nothing to hurry for. They don’t need to chase their food (plants don’t have legs), and why bother running away from predators when you have a rock-hard shell to hide in? In fact, tortoises don’t often stand up and walk on their thick legs. They prefer to slide themselves forward by pushing with their back legs.
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A group of tortoises is called a cre
WACKY FACT! ep.
It’s not just their shell that weighs them down. A tortoise’s HUGE bladder can hold nearly half its body weight in wee.
Tortoises live a VERY long time – between 90 and 150 years! 9
Why does a caterpillar make a chrysalis? A caterpillar is a young butterfly. It spends most of its time eating and growing. One day, the caterpillar stops munching, finds somewhere safe to hang and makes a shiny chrysalis. Inside, the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly.
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When ready to become an adult, the plump caterpillar hangs under a twig or leaf. 10
Starting at the head, the caterpillar’s stripy skin splits upwards to reveal a shiny chrysalis underneath.
The skin drops to the ground and the soft chrysalis hardens to protect the caterpillar.
WHO KNOWS? Scientists have discovered caterpillars that love eating plastic bags. They have no idea how they digest the plastic!
The butterfly makes its way out of the chrysalis and flutters away. After about a week, the caterpillar soup transforms into a butterfly. Inside its protective chrysalis, the caterpillar’s body dissolves into a goopy liquid.
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Why do I yawn?
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We all yawn, but nobody is sure of the reason why. We yawn when we wake up, when we’re bored or anxious, and especially when we’re – yaaaaaaawn – tired! Some scientists think we yawn because we need more air or our lungs need a stretch. Others think yawns cool us down and make us more alert. Whatever the reason, we do know this – once somebody yawns, we can’t help yawning too.
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People yawn about 20 times a day. Each face-stretching, face-scrunching super-sigh lasts about six seconds.
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WACKY FACT! Animals yawn, too. Dogs often join in if they see their owners yawn!
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You are more likely to remember a dream if you wake up in the middle of it.
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Why do I dream?
........... You may not remember your dreams, but you have up to seven every night! Scientists aren’t sure why we dream. They think our brains use dreams to tidy up all the stuff that’s happened during the day. Happy feelings, worries, things we’ve seen, heard, touched, tasted and smelled get sorted. As they do, our brains make pictures and stories out of them.
WHO KNOWS? Dogs often give a little whimper and twitch their legs when they are having doggie dreams. Scientists think animals dream about their daily activities, but they’re not totally sure.
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N A N T ICA I R B
First
Book of
Why can’t penguins fly? Why do we brush our teeth? Why does popcorn pop? The ultimate book of answers for kids who need to know WHY! Authors: Sally Symes & Stephanie Drimmer Illustrator: Kate Slater Ages: 4+ years Price: £20.00 Format: Hardback Extent: 272 pages Trim size: 280 x 210 mm Pub date: 7th October 2021 ISBN: 978-1-9137504-1-1 In this huge, authoritative and lavishly illustrated question and answer book from Britannica, you’ll find the answers to all those questions curious kids want to know. Why do elephants have long trunks? Why are clouds different shapes? Why does popcorn pop? Why does my tummy rumble? Why do we flush the toilet? This magnificent book features chapters on Space, Earth, Wild Animals, Pets, Bugs, Machines, the Body and Food, and also includes some of the mysteries which experts are still trying to solve! With stunning photography and gorgeous original illustrations by Kate Slater, this is the ultimate gift for kids who need to know WHY. • • • •
Britannica offers authoritative, clear and fascinating answers to more than 100 questions Featuring over 200 colour illustrations, including original artworks by Kate Slater and stunning photography ‘Who Knows?’ segments shine a spotlight on science’s unsolved mysteries The All New Britannica Children’s Encyclopedia, published in October 2020, has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide in its first three months
Authors Sally Symes worked for many years as a designer of children’s books before turning her skills to writing them. Her collaborations with Nick Sharratt have won several awards, including The Educational Writers’ Award for Gooey, Chewy, Rumble, Plop, and The Southampton Favourite Book to Share Award for Something Beginning with Blue. She works from a shed in Sussex, UK, accompanied by her grumpy cat. Stephanie Drimmer writes books, magazine features, and online pieces for kids. She is a regular contributor to the Scholastic magazines SuperScience and Science World. Her column for National Geographic Kids magazine, Destination Space, follows a future astronaut as she visits the most bizarre places in the universe. Her work has also appeared in Muse, Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines, and in videos for TED-ed. She lives in Los Angeles, California, USA. Illustrator Kate Slater grew up on a beautiful farm in deepest Staffordshire, UK, and studied illustration at Kingston University. Her children’s books include A is for Ant, The Birthday Crown, The Little Red Hen, ABC London, Magpie’s Treasure, Make Your Own Birds of Prey and Make Your Own Flying Machines. Alongside work for publishing, editorial and advertising, she has created several largescale installations and window displays. ISBN 978-1-913750-41-1
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