The Great Expedition Series, Book 1

A Million Whys: The Great Expedition for Curious Kids

By Crafty Clover. Published by Million Whys Press.

Kids ask why we get goosebumps, why cats purr, why the sky is blue, and why popcorn jumps. This book answers 150 of those questions in full color. Each page is one question, with a labeled picture, a real explanation, a wow fact, and a try-this you can finish at the kitchen table.

• 150 questions in six expeditions
• Full color inside
• Ages 7 to 11
• A short video answer for every question

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All 150 questions

Tap a question to watch its video and read the answer.

Expedition 1: Your Amazing Body

1. Why Do We Get Goosebumps? Tiny Muscles, Big Bumps!
2. Why Does Your Heart Keep Beating While You Sleep?
3. Why Do Onions Make You Cry? The Tiny Gas Trick!
4. Why Do We Hiccup? Meet Your Twitchy Diaphragm!
5. Why Do We Sneeze? Your Nose's Super Reflex!
6. Why Do We Have Fingerprints? Tiny Treads on Your Fingers!
7. Why Do Scabs Form? Your Body's Build-a-Bandage Crew!
8. Why Do We Have Baby Teeth? A Starter Set for Your Smile!
9. Why Does Your Stomach Growl? The Rumbly Science!
10. Why Do We Need Sleep? Your Secret Superpower!
11. Why Do We Yawn? The Big Stretchy Mystery!
12. Why Is Blood Red? The Iron and Oxygen Secret!
13. Why Do We Get Bruises? Purple, Green, Then Gone!
14. Why Do Your Ears Pop on a Plane or in a Car?
15. Why Can We Taste Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter and Umami?
16. Why Does Food Taste Weird When You Have a Cold?
17. Why Does Your Funny Bone Tingle? (Spoiler: It's Not a Bone!)
18. Why Do We Blush? A Very Human Superpower!
19. Why Do We Have Earwax? Tiny Wax, Big Jobs!
20. Why Do We Cry Tears? It's More Than Just Water!
21. Why Do We Need Water? Big Jobs for Tiny Cells!
22. Why Do We Get Dizzy When We Spin? Wobbly Ear Fluid!
23. Why Do We Get Fevers? Your Body's Smart Thermostat!
24. Why Do We Have Two Eyes? The Secret of Depth!
25. Why Do Fingers Wrinkle in the Bath? Built-In Tire Treads!

Expedition 2: Animals Who Share the Planet

26. Why Can't You Tickle Yourself? Your Brain Saw It Coming!
27. Why Do We Have Eyebrows? More Than Just Face Fuzz!
28. Why Do We Shiver? Your Muscles Make Heat!
29. Why Do We Sweat? Your Built-In Cooling System!
30. Why Do We Get Growing Pains? Achy Legs Explained!
31. Why Do Cats Purr? The Rumble in the Voice Box!
32. Why Do Bees Dance? The Waggle Dance Explained!
33. Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches? A Built-In Helmet!
34. Why Do Dogs Tilt Their Heads? Clues From a Curious Pup!
35. Why Are Flamingos Pink? It Starts With Their Dinner!
36. Why Do Chameleons Change Color? It's More Than Hiding!
37. Why Can Owls Turn Their Heads So Far?
38. Why Do Sharks Have So Many Teeth? A Conveyor Belt of Chompers!
39. Why Do Whales Sing? Songs That Travel for Miles!
40. Why Do Penguins Huddle? Teamwork Keeps Them Warm!
41. Why Is Spider Silk So Strong? Spiders' Super Thread!
42. Why Do Butterfly Wings Have Colors? Paint vs. Tiny Mirrors!
43. Why Do Camels Have Humps? It's Not What You Think!
44. Why Do Cows Have Four Stomach Rooms? A Tiny Teamwork Tummy!
45. Why Can Snakes Swallow Big Prey? Jaws That Walk!
46. Why Do Bats Use Sound to Hunt? Echoes in the Dark!
47. Why Do Octopuses Seem So Smart? Eight Clever Arms!
48. Why Do Fireflies Light Up? A Cold, Glowing Code!
49. Why Do Ants Follow a Trail? A Secret Scent Path!
50. Why Do Zebras Have Stripes? Scientists Are Still Asking!

Expedition 3: Earth, Weather, and Wild Places

51. Why Is the Sky Blue? A Trick Light Plays in the Air!
52. Why Do Volcanoes Erupt? Melted Rock Under Pressure!
53. Why Do Seasons Change? It's All About Earth's Tilt!
54. Why Does It Rain? Follow the Water Cycle!
55. Why Does Thunder Follow Lightning? Light Wins the Race!
56. Why Do Rainbows Appear? Light Bends and Splits!
57. Why Do Earthquakes Happen? Slipping Slabs of Rock!
58. Why Do Tides Rise and Fall? The Moon's Big Pull!
59. Why Do Rivers Flow to the Sea? Water Always Runs Downhill!
60. Why Do Mountains Exist? Three Ways to Build a Peak!
61. Why Are Deserts So Dry? Three Big Reasons!
62. Why Do We Find Fossils? It Takes a Little Luck!
63. Why Does Soil Matter? The Ground Is Full of Life!
64. Why Do Caves Form? Rain, Rock and Slow Drips!
65. Why Is Quicksand Not a Movie Deathtrap? Science Has the Story!
66. Why Do the Northern Lights Glow? A Sky Full of Color!
67. Why Do Hurricanes Spin? Ocean Heat and Earth's Twist!
68. Why Is Every Snowflake Different? One of a Kind!
69. Why Do Clouds Stay Up? They're Made of Tiny Drops!
70. Why Is Lightning So Hot? Big Energy in a Tiny Strike!
71. Why Do Canyons Get So Deep? Rivers, Rock and Rising Land!
72. Why Do Geysers Shoot? Nature's Underground Plumbing!
73. Why Does Compost Get Warm? Tiny Life, Big Heat!
74. Why Do We Have Day and Night? Earth's Big Spin!
75. Why Should We Care About This Planet? Small Choices Matter!

Expedition 4: Space and the Night Sky

76. What If You Got Too Close to the Sun?
77. Is the Sun the Biggest Star? Sizes in Space!
78. How Does the Sun Help Life on Earth?
79. Why Does the Moon Change Shape? Slices of Sunlit Moon!
80. Why Do Stars Twinkle? Wiggly Air Between Us and Space!
81. Why Is Space Black? A Big Question With a Bright Answer!
82. Why Do We Orbit the Sun Instead of Falling In?
83. Why Do Astronauts Float? They're Falling Around Earth!
84. Why Do Eclipses Happen? Shadows in Space!
85. Why Is Mars Rusty Red? Iron, Oxygen and Dust!
86. Why Does Saturn Have Rings? Ice, Rock and Gravity!
87. Why Do Comets Grow Tails? A Dirty Snowball Meets the Sun!
88. Meteor or Meteorite? Learn the Space Rock Difference!
89. Why Do We Draw Constellations? Stars, Stories and Maps!
90. Why Do We Have Leap Years? That Extra Quarter Day!
91. Why Do Telescopes Help? Seeing Far Into Space!
92. Why Do Space Suits Look Puffy? A Wearable Atmosphere!
93. Why Doesn't the Moon Fall Down? It's Falling Around Us!
94. What Is Gravity in Kid Words? An Invisible Pull!
95. What Is a Light-Year? It's Distance, Not Time!
96. Why Do We Only See One Face of the Moon?
97. Why Does the Night Sky Change Through the Year?
98. Why Don't the Planets Crash Into Each Other? Space Lanes!
99. What Is a Black Hole? Without the Scary Movie Version!
100. Why Go to Space at All? Big Reasons, Little Planet!

Expedition 5: How Everyday Things Work

101. Why Does Popcorn Pop? A Tiny Pressure Cooker!
102. Why Do Airplanes Fly? Lift, Thrust and Smart Wings!
103. Why Does Soap Clean Things? Tiny Molecules With Two Ends!
104. Why Do Magnets Stick? North, South and Tiny Iron Bits!
105. Why Is a Fridge Cold? It Moves Heat Out!
106. How Does a Light Bulb Work? Filaments vs. LEDs!
107. How Does a Touchscreen Know Your Finger?
108. Why Do Bikes Stay Up? The Science of Balance!
109. Why Do Boats Float? The Secret of Buoyancy!
110. Why Does Rubber Stretch? Tangled Chains That Snap Back!
111. Why Does Metal Rust? Iron, Oxygen and Water!
112. Why Do Echoes Bounce? Sound Bounces Back Late!
113. How Do Clocks Keep Time? Ticks, Swings and Crystals!
114. How Does a Toilet Flush? The Science of the Siphon!
115. How Does a Zipper Work? Teeth, Tape and a Sneaky Slider!
116. How Does Velcro Stick? Tiny Hooks and Loops!
117. Why Do Glasses Help You See? Bending Light Just Right!
118. How Do Headphones Make Sound? Shaking Air Into Music!
119. How Does Wi-Fi Work? Invisible Radio Waves!
120. How Does a Battery Work? Chemical Energy to Electricity!
121. Why Do Mirrors Flip Left and Right? Or Do They?
122. Why Do Balloons Stick to Your Hair? Static Electricity!
123. Why Does a Straw Work? It's Not Really Sucking!
124. Why Do Bubbles Pop? A Thin Skin of Water!
125. Why Does Glue Stick? A Handshake at the Surface!

Expedition 6: Food, Kitchen, and Tiny Science

126. Why Does Bread Rise? Meet the Tiny Yeast Helpers!
127. Why Does Ice Float? Water's Roomy Crystals!
128. Why Do Apples Turn Brown? A Chemical Suntan!
129. Why Does Salt Melt Ice? Getting in the Way of Freezing!
130. Boiling or Simmering? What's the Difference?
131. Why Do Eggs Get Hard When Cooked? Proteins on the Move!
132. Why Does Chocolate Melt in Your Hand? Cocoa Butter Science!
133. Yeast or Baking Powder? What Makes Dough Rise?
134. Why Does Spicy Food Feel Hot? Meet Capsaicin!
135. Why Do Leftovers Go Bad? Meet the Tiny Microbes!
136. Why Does a Metal Spoon Get Hot? Heat on the Move!
137. Why Do Cold Glasses Get Wet? The Water Comes From the Air!
138. Microwave or Oven? How Do They Heat Food Differently?
139. Why Does Toast Turn Brown? The Maillard Reaction!
140. Why Does Water Boil at 100°C? Molecules Break Free!
141. Why Does Sugar Dissolve? Water Molecules Pull It Apart!
142. Why Does Milk Go Sour? Tiny Microbes Make Acid!
143. Why Does Oil Float on Water? Density in a Jar!
144. Why Do Cookies Spread in the Oven? Butter, Bubbles and Heat!
145. Why Does Pasta Get Soft? Starch Swells in Hot Water!
146. Why Does Baking Soda Fizz? A Base Meets an Acid!
147. Why Does Ice Cream Melt? Frozen Water, Fat and Air!
148. Why Does Honey Last So Long? A Sticky Science Secret!
149. Why Does Steam Burn More Than Water? Hidden Heat!
150. Why Do We Cook Food at All? Three Big Reasons!

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