Father Knows Less
By (Author) Wendell Jamieson
Hardie Grant Books
Hardie Grant Books
1st August 2008
Australia
General
Non Fiction
Humour
741.5
Paperback
286
Width 143mm, Height 207mm
The ultimate book of questions and answers for any adult who was faced with posers such as "Why do ships have round windows Is houmous like dinosaur poop or, What are testicles" It all began with a question from the author's 4-year-old son, Dean: "Dad, what would hurt more: getting run over or getting stung by a jellyfish" The enquiry seemed to suggest a unique, not to mention dark, view of the world. Dad was impressed, and duly wrote it down. He did the same with every question that followed, with the vague idea that when Dean was older they would go through them and laugh. But late at night he found himself wondering: "What really would hurt more" He had to find out...Being the City Editor of The New York Times gave him the perfect opportunity to find answers for all his son's questions, so he approached everyone from the Fire Department to the Department of Transport to the film director, Peter Bogdanovich. All were happy to help and soon a feature was written and appeared in the Times' morning edition. This book features all of the best questions that Dean put to his dad, and is divided into quirky, loosely themed chapters such as 'Science', 'Things that Hurt', 'Tough Questions', and 'Illicit Things', each of which feature a short essay on why children are fascinated with that topic. These are accompanied by dozens of questions set by children for their long-suffering parents and answered by experts from around the world, making it the ultimate survival guide for anyone wishing to protect the myth that grown-ups really do have all the answers.
Jamieson set out to get the right answers from relevant experts, from ship captains and rocket scientists to police chiefs and magicians. Blending a charming father-son journey with scores of surprising, sometimes hilarious questions and answer, this book offers a heartwarming exploration of childlike curiosity.