Interview with Bob Der, Editor of Big Book of How
We had the chance to interview Bob Der, Editorial Director of the very fun, fact-filled, trivia-satisfying, and kid (and parent) pleasing Big Book of How. Filled with over 500 factoids, this follow up to Big Book of Why features vivid illustrations over 193 pages and comprehensive reporting to help kids 8 and up answer such questions as: How does a chameleon change colors? How was Mount Rushmore built? How to stay safe during an earthquake? How do you build a spaghetti bridge? How do diamonds form? ... and many, many other.
Interview with Bob Der:
1. There are so many great facts in BIG Book of How, like how was Mount Rushmore built? How to stay safe during an earthquake? And How does an iceberg form? What is your favorite “how” story in the book?
My favorite is "How is a Baseball Bat Made" because I am a big sports fan.
2. The Big Book of How comes with several fun “How To” activities. What are some that we can look forward to seeing in the book?
Readers can look forward to seeing “How to stand up on a surfboard,” “How to make a pizza,” “How to make a periscope,” “How to make your own recycled paper,” and many, many more.
3. What is the main difference between this book and the previous TIME for Kids book, Big Book of Why and That’s Awesome?
The Big Book of How’s central topic is how the world around you works. In the Big Book of Why, you will learn why spiders spin webs, in That’s Awesome we’ll show you the world’s largest spider, and in the Big Book of How, you’ll learn how spiders spin webs.
4. Did young readers help come up with the questions they wanted answered in the book?
TIME For Kids does a lot of in classroom research and we based the questions and answers on what we’ve learned.
5. With more than 200 photos and diagrams, we have to wonder: how long did it take to put together a book with so many illustrations?
It took about 3 months to get all of the photos and diagrams together although it took about a year between when we first brainstormed this topic to when it hit bookshelves.
6. Will there be a Big Book of Who?
Yes. We are hoping to create books for all of the big questions that kids have. Who, What, and When are all titles we hope to publish in the coming years.
Big Book of How is available now on Amazon, www.timeforkids.com/
