Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ages: 4 – 8 years
Why is the ocean blue? What is the rain? Why do the leaves change color?
Much like the little girl in the picture book, Just Because my son asks questions like this at bedtime as well.
I don’t usually know how to answer, sometimes reverting to the age-old standard response of, ‘’just because’’ that my parents (and probably their parents) gave me.
The dad in this story has a much funnier solution! He makes up these wonderfully imaginative and fun answers that are obviously not true….
My kids think the answers are hilarious, yelling out ‘’That’s not true!’’
I like to act surprised, ‘’Oh … isn’t it? Are you sure?’’
‘’Yes!’’ they usually respond giggling.
I then promise to google the answers tomorrow morning (which we do at breakfast) and they settle down for sleep.
Just Because is a creative bedtime story in which curious minds are rewarded with curious answers. An imaginative solution to a child looking for answers beyond, ‘’just because.’’
A father is putting his daughter to bed. ‘’Why is the ocean blue?’’ she asks.
Instead of the expected, ‘’just because’’ response, Dad comes up with something much better.
‘’Every night when you go to sleep, the fish take out guitars. They sing sad songs and cry blue tears.’’
“What is the rain?’’
‘’The tears of flying fish.”
The questioning is standard, but Dad’s responses get better and better. He has hilarious responses to why the leaves change color, and why birds fly south for the winter.
His explanations as to what black holes are, and what happened to the dinosaurs are my favorite.
Dad tells his daughter that it’s time to go to sleep.
‘’Why do we have to sleep?’’
His answer? It’s not as fanciful as the others, but it’s the perfect ending to an imaginative book.
Mac Barnett is a New York Times-bestselling author whose children’s books have sold more than one million copies in the United States and have been translated into over 30 languages. His picture books include two Caldecott-Honor winning collaborations and the EB White Read-Aloud Award.
Isabelle Arsenault has illustrated this book with a different color theme for each question. It’s a modern take on an old-fashioned styling and is just incredibly unique and appealing.
Both parents and children will be delighted with this creative bedtime story. Just Because is a fantastic picture book in which curious minds are rewarded with curious answers. An imaginative solution to a child looking for answers beyond, ‘’just because.’’
