50 Burning Questions: A Sizzling History of Fire

Description

If we took time to examine the flames in our world-fires that have built civilizations, sparked entire religions, and literally changed the surface of the Earth-can you imagine how many questions we would have? The 50 questions in this book may be just the beginning, but they will intrigue and excite young readers. From the question of "Who's for dinner?" (before mastering fire, humans were more likely to be prey than predators), to "Who were the first firefighters?" (Romans over 2,000 years ago), to "Why don't firewalkers get toasted feet?" (theories abound, but no one knows for certain), the amazing answers reveal the crucial role fire has played for millennia. With a humorous touch ("Who was the first hairy potter?"), Tanya Lloyd Kyi presents fascinating facts alongside innovative activities for kids, like sending breath through a glass jar and playing spy games with a flashlight. Each sidebar turns up the heat on the subject, while comical illustrations make for a fun and fiery visual presentation.

Tanya Lloyd Kyi is the author of numerous popular non-fiction books for young readers, including "Rescues!" She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ross Kinnaird is an illustrator who has worked in London, England, Sydney, Australia, and Hong Kong. He currently lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

In many ways the history of fire is a history of everything, as this cheeky book explains in scattershot, browsable chunks. Broken up into loose chapters, the questions cover how integral fire has been to nearly the entirety of human endeavor, from technology to religion to food to communication. Cleverly, the book even gets into the abstractions of fiery emotions, sparks of social protest, and fire's explosive place at the heart of conflict and war... On each spread, cartoon illustrations work to keep the tone light and a handful of activities reinforce some basic science concepts. All in all, a fun and informative book for anyone fascinated by fire, which means pretty much everyone.--Ian Chipman"Booklist" (12/01/2010) Author Tanya Lloyd Kyi is matchless when it comes to teaching kids about fire, its uses and its abuses. (A) lighthearted, informative look at a fascinating subject...Accessibly written and appealingly designed. (A) lighthearted, informative look at a fascinating subject...Accessibly written and appealingly designed. OLA Best Bets for Children 2010. Entertaining headings ("Who was the first hairy potter?") and brightly-coloured pages with wacky illustrations introduce the reader to the subject of fire. Well-researched (there's a bibliography) with a wealth of interesting detail, this book is fun and informative. Chapters include both scientific and social aspects of fire in a question and answer format. A fun and informative book for anyone fascinated by fire, which means pretty much everyone. Author Tanya Lloyd Kyi is matchless when it comes to teaching kids about fire, its uses and its abuses. A fun and informative book for anyone fascinated by fire, which means pretty much everyone.--Ian Chipman"Booklist" (12/01/2010)