How Do You Know What You Know?

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Pub Date Oct 03 2023 | Archive Date Oct 03 2023

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Description

2024 NAPPA Award winner

A charming and inquisitive story that celebrates tracing the origin of ideas, language, and every day objects, for children 4–8.


Where does snow come from? What language did the word thermos come from? And who was the Buddha's teacher?

So many problems in the world come from accepting information at face value without looking into where it comes from. How Do You Know What You Know? follows a child and their father on a cozy, snowy day outing. The child asks questions about how things came to be the way they are. The questions range from how the father knows how to tie a shoe to why it’s not a good idea to eat yellow snow. These queries are met by the father with patience and humor that weave a delightful narrative of intergenerational knowledge sharing. In this exchange, respectful inquiry is beautifully modeled for young learners.

The journey includes an amble in the park, a trip to the library, a bus ride, and a visit to a local Buddhist temple where the father is a student. The teacher there introduces the child to the idea of lineage, that wisdom and understanding comes from generations of knowledge passed down from person to person. With a quaint and welcoming simplicity, the illustrations bring this beautiful story to life, and every spread has a subtle nod to the progression of how things come to be the way they are. The story encourages children’s natural curiosity and shows them that everywhere they look there is a story to be told if we just ask.
2024 NAPPA Award winner

A charming and inquisitive story that celebrates tracing the origin of ideas, language, and every day objects, for children 4–8.


Where does snow come from? What language did the...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781645471097
PRICE $18.95 (USD)
PAGES 32

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Average rating from 16 members


Featured Reviews

Delightful look at an inquisitive child and their parent happily encourages curiosity. The parent emphasizes the interconnectedness of life on earth and the power of kindness and compassion. Loved it!

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In "How Do You Know What You Know?", a father and daughter lead us on an explorative journey that not only entertains but enlightens, painting vivid pictures of life's lessons within its engaging pages. Through their sweet and heartwarming interaction, readers are invited to participate in their fascinating dialogues about life, unfolding layers of wisdom in the most unexpected ways.

The introduction to Buddhist concepts is subtly and seamlessly woven into their conversations, making it a gentle entry point for those unacquainted with this philosophy. The book is careful never to preach, but rather inspire curiosity and understanding. Despite not being a Buddhist family ourselves, we found this unobtrusive initiation into Buddhism enriching and thought-provoking.

The illustrations are beautifully crafted and woven into the narrative, adding depth to the text and creating an immersive reading experience.

The humor in this book is well-balanced, captivating, and relatable. Children will undoubtedly enjoy the playful banter and funny anecdotes, while adults will appreciate the clever wordplay and subtle nods to more mature humor.

In conclusion, "How Do You Know What You Know?" is an insightful, entertaining, and beautifully illustrated journey that introduces Buddhism and new vocabulary with gentleness and humor. It is an educational and enjoyable read for children and adults alike. A delightful fusion of life lessons, humor, and enlightenment, this book serves as an open invitation to explore knowledge, encouraging us to question, learn, and grow.

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A young girl goes on a walk with her dad and seeks answers to questions along the way. I thought the story and illustrations were very calm and pleasant.

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of "How Do You Know What You Know?". All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am going to be very honest, I requested this book because the cover looked cute and that was it. I came into this story blind. I am happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Immediately, we see words that are difficult for children, but on the same page, it is explained what that word means. Expanding a child's vocabulary is such a powerful and simple thing that is often taken for granted and forgotten about. The way it flowed to discuss Buddha and how it all came full circle was great. I really liked it and I feel that others will too.

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This book addresses a relationship between a father and daughter, as well as a larger relationship to family, teacher and the divine/buddha. An inquisitive and intelligent girl goes on a walk with her father and learns the meaning and history of words, where her father has learned things he knows from and how this connects with Buddhism and knowledge in general. A weighty concept, but a delightful scratching of the surface of how we even begin to know what we know, and how that is baked into our very existence. With lovely illustrations, this will be the perfect book for young minds looking to delve a little deeper into the age old question of "why".

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"How Do You Know What You Know" is a book that illustrates how people learn from everyone around them. Sometimes it may be something small, but in the end, we all take lessons from our experiences and interactions with others. In many ways, it made me think back to some of the people that have been in my life and the knowledge they lovingly shared. There was also the underlying introduction to Buddhism in the story. While it may not be for everyone, I always find it important to show kids other cultures and their beliefs. Because even if someone doesn't belong to that group, there are always similarieties and a common ground to be found.

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What a delightful book! It follows a child and a father as they go on a walk together. The child has a curious mind, and asks a lot of questions about the world around them. It touches on origins of ideas and words, and also gives a brief introduction to Buddhism. It's a great book to encourage an inquiry mindset, and also being open-minded!

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This book is full of questions. A child is going for a walk with their father and one question leads to another and leads to another, etc. It’s when new words are introduced that you begin to realize that this may not be coming from your current experience. Buddha told everybody to always question. Question why things work, know that things come from one thing to another, and on and on. This book is basic beginnings questions and how things come after each other and how ohm covers everything. Anybody could read this book and get something out of it. It does not have to be read or is not strictly for those who follow Buddha. The information about Buddha is in the very end, as a note to parents rather than part of the story which makes this book open for all.

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