The book of what if ...? Questions and activities for curious minds

Review by Booklist Review

What if a book could inspire curiosity? Almost 100 questions, all beginning with What if and divided into history, people, nature, and stuff categories, encourage readers to consider the world around them. Each question is followed by a short explanation of the topic with related questions and areas to pursue. For instance, questions like What if computers were conscious? and its accompanying information on artificial intelligence show readers how a thought could lead to reality. Other questions such as What if dinosaurs didn't go extinct? What if humans had elephant noses? and What if you had no possessions? guide children to see the impact of events and possibilities within the impossible or within their own lives. At the heart of each question is a call to creativity, knowledge, entrepreneurship, or activism. Most of the questions also include activities to help kids explore the topic in more depth, as well as biographical and technical profiles. Concluding curious resources extend the possibilities in this blend of philosophy, science, and the arts.--Leeper, Angela Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

---

Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Murrie and McHugh-creators of the What If...? conference, which aims to inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and innovation by asking hypothetical, even ridiculous-seeming questions-present a book designed to do the same. Divided into sections titled History, People, Stuff, and Nature, the book features more than 80 questions, such as "What if Poland joined Germany in 1939?" "What if you could move objects with your brain?" and "What if humans had elephant noses?" Profiles of experts, relevant sidebars, and kids' answers accompany explorations of each question, while occasional activities range from creating an idea notebook to crafting a map of the Earth that mixes up continents and borders. The serious treatment of sometimes silly ideas drives home the notion that there really is no such thing as a stupid question. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jessica Regel, Foundry Literary + Media. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

---

Review by Library Journal Review

Provocative and entertaining, this title from Murrie (English, Westminster Coll.) and soon-to-be human computer interaction grad McHugh presents a launching tool for exercising inquisitiveness, creativity, and worldviews. Organized into four parts (History, People, Stuff, and Nature), it proposes theoretical scenarios to stimulate discussion, imagination, problem solving, and areas for further thought. Appropriate for elementary-age children and up, questions span the sociological ("What If the South Won the Civil War?") and the silly (What If Dinosaurs Didn't Go Extinct?"). Using the latter as an example, each entry introduces the possibility of the topic and includes an activity ("Draw a picture of your house after it is Dino-proofed"). The quotes from children (of course they would ride their T. rex to school) illustrate the excitement sure to follow. VERDICT Kids love to be asked their opinions, and they'll get a charge out of pondering such ticklers as "What If Kids Were Politicians?" A great choice for enhancing critical thinking skills. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

---

Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-9-This title is dedicated to exploring the "what ifs" of life and world history with the hope that readers will begin to think critically about their own role in history. The book is divided into four sections (history, people, stuff, and nature). Each chapter begins with a "what if" question header and a one- to two-page exploration of that topic, with various sidebars and activities throughout. The text is light and conversational. Occasionally, the authors take on more than they can handle with topics such as "What if the South had won the Civil War?" which is covered without the necessary exploration of what that would truly mean. This is mainly an issue for younger readers whose initial understanding may be limited. Some chapters include a "Technical Corner," which expands on a specific person or thing related to the "what if." The authors wisely include brief interview snippets with real middle and high school students that will give readers an example on which to model their own thinking. VERDICT A good purchase for collections geared toward middle and early high school readers and where critical thinking exercises are needed.-Minerva Alaniz, Texas Tech University Library © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

---

Review by Horn Book Review

This guide for curious tweens promotes critical thinking through a series of very loosely organized questions, accompanied by well-documented trivia, quotes from students, and extension activities. Emphasizing speculation, the book offers springboards for discussion in or outside the classroom. It supports its broad-ranging questions with explanations that make complex topics accessible and may inspire further inquiry. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

---

The Book of What If . . . ? What if Dinosaurs Hadn't Gone Extinct? If you've done any digging around on dinosaurs, you've probably discovered that the word dinosaur means "terrible lizard."  1 But this isn't entirely true. The actual translation for the Greek prefix deinos is "fearfully great." The inventor of the word dinosaur, Richard Owen, intended the word to inspire awe, not terror. 2 Over time, people have turned "fearfully great" into simply "terrible." "I would have a pet velociraptor. And we could buy dinosaurs at dino dealerships because there would be no need for cars because you just ride your T. Rex where you need to go." --Charlie, Battle High School, age 15 The second half of the word dinosaur comes from the Greek word sauros, which means "lizard."  3 Even though many originally thought dinosaurs were lizards, scientists have now determined that they weren't. Interestingly enough, birds and lizards both seem to be descendants of dinosaurs (though different ones). 4 The more we learn about dinosaurs, the more ways we find how they differed from the reptiles we have today, including lizards. But what if we had more than just a bunch of bones to go by to understand dinosaurs? What if dinosaurs were alive today? "I would train a dinosaur to let me ride it to school." --Andrew, Battle High School, age 15 There are several questions to consider here. Perhaps the most urgent one is: who would "rule" the earth--dinosaurs or humans? Looking around today, humans have been able to create an existence at the top of the food chain, and we've been able to develop technologies that move us further from the natural world. Do you think humans could have evolved in this manner if we had to compete against (or run away from!) dinosaurs all day long? "The bigger dinosaurs would be hunted and the smaller ones domesticated as animals of labor." --Jonathan, Battle High School, age 17 What if, instead of finding a neighbor's dog digging a hole in your yard, you saw a triceratops digging a hole? What if, instead of being afraid of bee stings when playing outside, you had to look out for pterodactyls swooping down from the sky to scoop you up for dinner? What if every day on your way to school, you were chased by a Tyrannosaurus rex? Could you tell your teacher a T. rex ate your homework? Where would we be today? What would be better? What would be worse? ACTIVITY Dino-Proof Your House Imagine you live in a neighborhood struggling with an overpopulation of dinosaurs. They're everywhere! Many people have come home to find dinosaurs in their yards eating their plants and leaves off their trees. Some homes have even been stepped on by dinosaurs--and crushed to smithereens, of course. What do you do? How can you save your home? Draw a picture of what your home would look like once it's been "dino-proofed." MARY ANNING, DINO-DISCOVERER If you look around, you'll notice that there are not many creatures that look like the ones that were alive in the time of dinosaurs. The dinosaurs went extinct and some of them were fossilized. Many, many years later, a set of apes evolved into humans, and many years after that, we started fossil hunting. Mary Anning was an expert fossil hunter. "If dinosaurs never went extinct, humans would have very slim chances of survival with how dangerous the world around us would be. Perhaps this would create a different society that focuses more on survival and protection rather than the society we have developed in which survival isn't always immediately on our minds." --Dillon, Battle High School, age 16 Sometime between 1809 and 1811, when she was only 10 to 12 years old, Anning and her brother found one of the first ichthyosaur fossils (an ichthyosaur looks kind of like a dolphin). Her whole family hunted fossils, but Anning was the most dedicated. She went on to find many other ichthyosaur fossils, but her greatest find was of the first plesiosaur (a swimming dinosaur with a long neck like a giraffe). Anning was a well versed paleontologist (person who studies fossils), an expert at finding, drawing, and analyzing skeletal remains of dinosaurs. 5 Excerpted from The Book of What If... ?: Questions and Activities for Curious Minds by Matthew Murrie, Andrew R. McHugh All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

---