HOW does a man’s personality change after a six-foot long iron tamping rod has just been shot the entire way through his head — entering through his left cheekbone, exiting from the top of his skull, and landing some 30 yards away? HOW does he not lose consciousness when this happens? HOW does he not die of infection? HOW did the experience of what happened to Phineas Gage in 1848 shape what we know today about the human brain? These are just a few of the many "HOW" questions that were answered or at least raised for me when I read John Fleischman’s fascinating book Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science (Houghton Mifflin, 2002). It’s one of my favorite non-fiction books that answers the question "HOW?" (and "WHO?" and "WHAT?" and "WHEN?" and "WHERE?" and definitely "WHY?" — but mostly "HOW?").
On a lighter note, HOW is it possible that trout are "made of" trees? To answer that question you’ll have to read April Pulley Sayre’s book called (you guessed it) Trout Are Made of Trees, illustrated by Kate Endle (Charlesbridge, 2008). It’s another one of my "HOW?" book favorites because it explains the connection between plants and animals in such clear, easy-to-follow fashion.
HOW about you? What non-fiction books that tell you HOW something works or happened or came to be are on your list of favorites?
(One more thing: If you’re a fan of Phineas Gage and you want to be creeped out in the best of fashion, go to the Warren Anatomical Museum on the fifth floor of the Countway Library of Medicine at Harvard Medical School’s Longwood Campus. There you will find Phineas’ skull on display, as well as the famous tamping rod that DIDN’T do him in but… didn’t do him any favors. I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. And, yeah. It’s creepy cool.)
Well, I suppose David McCauley pretty much owns this category, no?
Steve Jenkins has a number of books that explain how animals do things. LIVING COLOR looks at color in the animal world and how it is used. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS? examines animal features and appendages and how they are used. HOW MANY WAYS CAN YOU CATCH A FLY? looks at how animals solve problems. I would add to these some Scientist in the Field titles that look at how scientists do their work. I’m particularly fond of TRACKING TRASH by Loree Griffin Burns and QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO by Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop.
The following are all excellent HOW? books for pre-K to gr. 2 from Abrams & Company Publishers in Waterbury, CT, by Donna Pitino. For science: THE WATER CYCLE demonstrates the water cycle, water use, and conservation. MY WONDERFUL BODY explains how our bodies work and how to keep them healthy. PLAYGROUND SCIENCE explains simple machines. For math: IS IT LIKELY TO HAPPEN? is all about probability, but easy enough for preschool and kindergarten kids. LET’S FIGURE IT OUT! lets children figure out math problems in different ways.
Thank you, Tricia, for including TRACKING TRASH on your list! Here are some favorites from my HOW list: IT’S SO AMAZING, by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley; HORSESHOE CRABS & SHOREBIRDS, by Victoria Crenson and Annie Cannon; THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER, by James Cross Giblin; SECRET FROM THE ROCKS, by Albert Marrin; DR JENNER AND THE SPECKLED MONSTER, by Albert Marrin.
I’ll add in A View from the Oak by Herbert and Judith Kohl–a great book for slightly older readers that gives kids a sense of the inner life of animals.