Synopses & Reviews
How a New York Times editor set out to answer the peculiarly marvelous questions of his precocious young son-and wound up on an unexpected journey of his own. Wendell Jamieson's son, Dean, has always had a penchant for . . . odd questions. Dad, he asked, apropos of nothing, what would hurt more-getting run over by a car, or getting stung by a jellyfish? Dad, why do policemen like donuts? What's it feel like to get stabbed? Does Mona Lisa wear shoes? Can I cook my sister? Because Dad was a newspaperman, he decided to seek out answers-and got swept up in the hunt. He spoke to movie directors and ship captains and brain surgeons and stabbing victims and lottery winners and museum curators and politicians and judges and compulsive shoppers and mothers-in-law and magicians-even Yoko Ono and a dominatrix. But what began as a lark quickly grew into something larger. Blending a charming father-son journey with the surprising, sometimes hilarious questions and answers it spawned, Father Knows Less offers a heartwarming exploration of that childlike curiosity that lives within us all.
Review
[A] small gem of a book...perfect for anyone young or oldwho has ever wondered about such things as Is a rainbow hot or cold?
Booklist
[A] compendium of hilariously insightful questions from kids...with often insightfully hilarious answers from adults.
Publishers Weekly
Father Knows Less will surprise, amuse, and humble, reminding us how little we learn when we stop asking Why?
New York Times
Priceless...forget the kids, these are just things I wanted to know.
Washington Post
Synopsis
Kids ask the darndest questions and the answers make for a funny and fascinating (Publishers Weekly) book.
Wendell Jamieson s son, Dean, has always had a penchant for asking odd questions. Dad, what would hurt more getting run over by a car, or getting stung by a jellyfish? Dad, why do policemen like donuts? Dad, does Mona Lisa wear shoes? Because Dad is a newspaperman and city editor for The New York Times, he decided to seek out the real answers to Dean s questions from top experts movie directors and ship captains, brain surgeons and stabbing victims, a Buddhist monk and a bra fitter, and even Yoko Ono. Their father-son journey for answers to the tough and weird questions of life is a sometimes surprising, often hilarious, and always fascinating celebration of the value and beauty of childlike curiosity.
Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book."
Synopsis
Kids ask the darndest questions—and the answers make for a “funny and fascinating”(Publishers Weekly) book.Wendell Jamieson’s son, Dean, has always had a penchant for asking odd questions. “Dad, what would hurt more—getting run over by a car, or getting stung by a jellyfish?” “Dad, why do policemen like donuts?” “Dad, does Mona Lisa wear shoes?” Because Dad is a newspaperman and city editor for The New York Times, he decided to seek out the real answers to Dean’s questions from top experts—movie directors and ship captains, brain surgeons and stabbing victims, a Buddhist monk and a bra fitter, and even Yoko Ono. Their father-son journey for answers to the tough—and weird—questions of life is a sometimes surprising, often hilarious, and always fascinating celebration of the value and beauty of childlike curiosity.
Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.
About the Author
Wendell Jamieson, city editor for The New York Times, has been a newspaperman for twenty years. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Helene Stapinski, and their two children, three-year-old Paulina and seven-year-old Dean—who figures prominently in Father Knows Less.