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There Are No Silly Questions: More than 200 Weird and Wacky Questions, Expertly Answered!
Have you ever wondered . . .
If dinosaurs sneezed?
How long would it take to run around the world?
If moths like light so much, why do they only come out at night?
Find out in this hilarious collection of more than 200 wacky and wide-ranging questions, cleverly answered by author Mike Rampton with help from world-leading experts from the University of Cambridge. Covering everything from science, math, and zoology to history, art, and sports, There Are No Silly Questions answers all the questions you've always wondered about—and some you've never even thought to ask. Rampton's answers are brought to life with delightfully zany, full-color illustrations from award-winning illustrator Guilherme Karsten. The perfect gift for curious readers of any age, this treasure trove of knowledge proves that there are truly no silly questions, only ones still waiting to be asked. . . .
If dinosaurs sneezed?
How long would it take to run around the world?
If moths like light so much, why do they only come out at night?
Find out in this hilarious collection of more than 200 wacky and wide-ranging questions, cleverly answered by author Mike Rampton with help from world-leading experts from the University of Cambridge. Covering everything from science, math, and zoology to history, art, and sports, There Are No Silly Questions answers all the questions you've always wondered about—and some you've never even thought to ask. Rampton's answers are brought to life with delightfully zany, full-color illustrations from award-winning illustrator Guilherme Karsten. The perfect gift for curious readers of any age, this treasure trove of knowledge proves that there are truly no silly questions, only ones still waiting to be asked. . . .
144 pages, Hardcover
First published March 10, 2025
152 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 23, 2025
In a Nutshell: A Q&A-styled nonfiction for middle-graders. Contains some interesting questions and some equally interesting answers. Given the title, I expected the questions to be more whimsical and wacky, but these are far and few between. Informative. A good gift option if you are looking for a different kind of encyclopaedic book covering multiple subjects.
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Author Mike Rampton’s daughter once asked him a question he couldn’t answer. This simple incident led to a wonderful and worthy revelation – there are no silly questions. Thus began the ideation of this book, wherein the author noted more than 200 “silly” questions and the answers for each.
I love that the book begins with two “silly questions” right on the title page, questions of which most book-loving readers would surely enjoy the answers.
Questions are unfortunately not given enough importance in discussions, whether at home or in the classroom. Several adults even actively discourage kids from asking questions, considering them insolent or idiotic. However, studies have shown that asking the correct questions can enhance retention and improve understanding by up to 150%. And as the title clearly indicates, there are no silly questions.
The book covers more than 200 questions from various subjects, ranging from science and its branches to mathematics to geography and history and anthropology and a lot more. The content is interesting, and written in a language that is topic-appropriate without being overwhelming. Some questions do include some tougher vocabulary, but nothing that a quick Google search cannot resolve. There’s also a helpful glossary at the end of the book that explains many of the more difficult terms.
Given the quirky title, I expected the questions to be far more creative and wild. However, many of the questions are fairly standard, such as “Why do we burp?”, “What’s the largest number in the world?”, “Why does cutting onions make you cry?”, “Who invented the umbrella?”, and so on. While these are also extremely interesting questions, I wouldn’t call these ‘silly’ queries. Plus, many of these are commonly found in encyclopaedias and trivia books.
Thankfully, the book does have some truly quirky questions as well. “How do babies think when they don’t know any words?”, “Why don’t we go on vacation by helicopter?”, “How healthy would vampires be if they were real?”, “Why aren’t bananas straight?” – all examples of good querying and lateral thinking. These are the questions I took the book for, and the answers of these are what I enjoyed most.
Basically, about half the book contains routine fare that can be found in various other such compilations. The feel in these questions is more like ordinary curiosity than extraordinary goofiness. But the remaining queries do touch upon the unusual and the bizarre. Queries that most ordinary people wouldn’t even have thought of, forget about having the answer to. These make the book fun.
I wish the queries had been organised in some way. Though there is a themed index at the end, the actual content jumps across random topics. It would have been better to organise them by subject.
The page space is used well. There are one or two questions per page. The question is written in a clear and large typeface, while the answer is typed below it in a more regular font. Every question comes with its own all-colour illustration.
Overall, this is definitely an entertaining and educational resource. Though many included questions feel more like queries of standard curiosity, there are enough whimsical wonderings to justify the title of the book.
I hope kids can learn not just fun trivia from this book but also that every question is justified, no matter how odd it sounds. It is only by asking questions that we can find answers. So keep calm and query on.
Recommended to ages 8-12, though older teens can also give this a try.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Nosy Crow for providing the DRC of “There Are No Silly Questions” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Mike Rampton’s daughter once asked him a question he couldn’t answer. This simple incident led to a wonderful and worthy revelation – there are no silly questions. Thus began the ideation of this book, wherein the author noted more than 200 “silly” questions and the answers for each.
I love that the book begins with two “silly questions” right on the title page, questions of which most book-loving readers would surely enjoy the answers.
Questions are unfortunately not given enough importance in discussions, whether at home or in the classroom. Several adults even actively discourage kids from asking questions, considering them insolent or idiotic. However, studies have shown that asking the correct questions can enhance retention and improve understanding by up to 150%. And as the title clearly indicates, there are no silly questions.
The book covers more than 200 questions from various subjects, ranging from science and its branches to mathematics to geography and history and anthropology and a lot more. The content is interesting, and written in a language that is topic-appropriate without being overwhelming. Some questions do include some tougher vocabulary, but nothing that a quick Google search cannot resolve. There’s also a helpful glossary at the end of the book that explains many of the more difficult terms.
Given the quirky title, I expected the questions to be far more creative and wild. However, many of the questions are fairly standard, such as “Why do we burp?”, “What’s the largest number in the world?”, “Why does cutting onions make you cry?”, “Who invented the umbrella?”, and so on. While these are also extremely interesting questions, I wouldn’t call these ‘silly’ queries. Plus, many of these are commonly found in encyclopaedias and trivia books.
Thankfully, the book does have some truly quirky questions as well. “How do babies think when they don’t know any words?”, “Why don’t we go on vacation by helicopter?”, “How healthy would vampires be if they were real?”, “Why aren’t bananas straight?” – all examples of good querying and lateral thinking. These are the questions I took the book for, and the answers of these are what I enjoyed most.
Basically, about half the book contains routine fare that can be found in various other such compilations. The feel in these questions is more like ordinary curiosity than extraordinary goofiness. But the remaining queries do touch upon the unusual and the bizarre. Queries that most ordinary people wouldn’t even have thought of, forget about having the answer to. These make the book fun.
I wish the queries had been organised in some way. Though there is a themed index at the end, the actual content jumps across random topics. It would have been better to organise them by subject.
The page space is used well. There are one or two questions per page. The question is written in a clear and large typeface, while the answer is typed below it in a more regular font. Every question comes with its own all-colour illustration.
Overall, this is definitely an entertaining and educational resource. Though many included questions feel more like queries of standard curiosity, there are enough whimsical wonderings to justify the title of the book.
I hope kids can learn not just fun trivia from this book but also that every question is justified, no matter how odd it sounds. It is only by asking questions that we can find answers. So keep calm and query on.
Recommended to ages 8-12, though older teens can also give this a try.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Nosy Crow for providing the DRC of “There Are No Silly Questions” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
July 7, 2025
I was sent this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it had a great premise. Looking at science as a series of questions in search of answers. It took me back to watching Bill Nye the Science Guy as a kid. There was humor in the writing and in the illustrations. The one thing I would have liked was a little more organization in the book. It would be nice if their were sections based on the different sciences. This would make it more useful for student research in a classroom setting.
I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it had a great premise. Looking at science as a series of questions in search of answers. It took me back to watching Bill Nye the Science Guy as a kid. There was humor in the writing and in the illustrations. The one thing I would have liked was a little more organization in the book. It would be nice if their were sections based on the different sciences. This would make it more useful for student research in a classroom setting.
November 8, 2025
This book is so fun. It is chock full of questions that are answered in a cheeky yet factual manner. Who wouldn’t want to know why we have two nostrils and 1 mouth? What weighs more, all the people in the world or all the animals? Kid explorers will want to know “Are there places on Earth that haven’t been discovered”? For mini chefs, how about “What was the first dinner ever made?” or “Why does food go bad?”
As the title indicates, Mike Rampton poses more than 200 questions in this volume. Some are questions that we can imagine we all have and some are pulled out of the question ether but are just as fun to have answered (“Before soap was invented was everyone just dirty and smelly?” “How many people are in the sky right now?”) Illustrations are cartoony, colorful, descriptive in their illustrative way, and have informational text boxes buried within them.
The book ends with the question, “How can I know everything in the whole world?” which is a perfect way to end the question portion of the book. Beyond the last question, readers will find an extensive glossary and then (yay!) the questions organized by subject with page numbers, and beyond that, an index.
This volume is highly recommended. I can see it as an addition to the Weird but True series shelf or just a book to leave around to paw through. One of the suggestions for usage from the author was to have a friend/sibling/adult choose a page number between 4-34 (for example) and then work through the question and answer together. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
As the title indicates, Mike Rampton poses more than 200 questions in this volume. Some are questions that we can imagine we all have and some are pulled out of the question ether but are just as fun to have answered (“Before soap was invented was everyone just dirty and smelly?” “How many people are in the sky right now?”) Illustrations are cartoony, colorful, descriptive in their illustrative way, and have informational text boxes buried within them.
The book ends with the question, “How can I know everything in the whole world?” which is a perfect way to end the question portion of the book. Beyond the last question, readers will find an extensive glossary and then (yay!) the questions organized by subject with page numbers, and beyond that, an index.
This volume is highly recommended. I can see it as an addition to the Weird but True series shelf or just a book to leave around to paw through. One of the suggestions for usage from the author was to have a friend/sibling/adult choose a page number between 4-34 (for example) and then work through the question and answer together. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
January 9, 2026
Mike Rampton’s There Are No Silly Questions is a lively, curiosity-celebrating picture book that reassures young readers that wondering about the world is not only okay—it’s essential. With humor, warmth, and an inviting conversational tone, Rampton tackles the kinds of questions kids ask every day: big, small, surprising, and wonderfully weird. His message is clear and empowering—questions are how we learn, grow, and understand the world around us.
Guilherme Karsten’s bold, energetic illustrations add a burst of fun to every page. His expressive characters and vibrant scenes mirror the delightful unpredictability of children’s questions, giving visual life to ideas both imaginative and scientific. The art manages to be playful without distracting from the book’s central theme: curiosity is something to celebrate, not stifle.
Ideal for ages 4–8, this book is a great fit for classroom discussions, storytime read-alouds, and conversations at home about thinking, learning, and wondering. There Are No Silly Questions encourages children to speak up, explore, and embrace their natural desire to know more. It’s a joyful reminder that every question—no matter how quirky—can lead to discovery.
Guilherme Karsten’s bold, energetic illustrations add a burst of fun to every page. His expressive characters and vibrant scenes mirror the delightful unpredictability of children’s questions, giving visual life to ideas both imaginative and scientific. The art manages to be playful without distracting from the book’s central theme: curiosity is something to celebrate, not stifle.
Ideal for ages 4–8, this book is a great fit for classroom discussions, storytime read-alouds, and conversations at home about thinking, learning, and wondering. There Are No Silly Questions encourages children to speak up, explore, and embrace their natural desire to know more. It’s a joyful reminder that every question—no matter how quirky—can lead to discovery.
December 21, 2025
There Are No Silly Questions is a book written by Mike Rampton after his daughter asked if spiders run out of webs. He didn’t know the answer, and the result is a book with over 200 wacky and interesting questions.
What I liked: The premise of the book is that there are no silly questions, and I appreciate how unique some of these questions are. Have you ever wondered if fish drink water? Or how about if a Venus flytrap could bite your finger off? These are questions I never actually thought about, but I couldn’t wait to read the responses. Answers to the questions are short, maybe a paragraph or two, and written in an easy-to-understand way with a dash of humor added to each response. The illustrations by Guilherme Karsten match the fun and quirky feel of the book . I especially love how this book encourages young readers to embrace being curious and learn new things.
There Are No Silly Questions is made for that curious kid who has to know why/how things work.
This review first appeared on YA Books Central and can be found here: https://yabookscentral.com/there-are-...
What I liked: The premise of the book is that there are no silly questions, and I appreciate how unique some of these questions are. Have you ever wondered if fish drink water? Or how about if a Venus flytrap could bite your finger off? These are questions I never actually thought about, but I couldn’t wait to read the responses. Answers to the questions are short, maybe a paragraph or two, and written in an easy-to-understand way with a dash of humor added to each response. The illustrations by Guilherme Karsten match the fun and quirky feel of the book . I especially love how this book encourages young readers to embrace being curious and learn new things.
There Are No Silly Questions is made for that curious kid who has to know why/how things work.
This review first appeared on YA Books Central and can be found here: https://yabookscentral.com/there-are-...
September 17, 2025
This book is a MUST! After seeing all of the positive reviews, I decided to read this one with my six-year-old and, true to the reviews, he absolutely loved it. It was so fun to be able to explore his curiosity and pick the questions he was interested in. The answers are really thoughtful and concise, so you get to learn something while not spending forever on one question. It's a great way to explore kids' interests without diving too deep into any one topic. I loved the format of the questions and how accessible the answers are. This is a must-have book for any library or teacher that serves K-5th grade. I can see it working great as a bell ringer for teachers--pick a question and answer of the day (with the potential to expand into more research or project-based experiences as time allows) and read to the class. The same would be true for an elementary library -- great for kids but also great for library teachers looking to help kids be curious. This is a must-add to any collection and would also make a great gift for any curious kiddos. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
September 14, 2025
One of the coolest things I’ve read in a long time. I cannot stop talking about this book! Told through the fun lens of answering “silly questions,” this book has a lot to share. Don’t go into this one with expectations, just flip to any page and let it grab you. This will be fun for kids, teachers, librarians - everyone! I can’t wait to use the themes in displays or to inspire research and curiosity.
This was too great for me to even find the right words. Highly recommend. Over 200 “silly questions” get answered with fun bite-sized bits of information and thought-provoking illustrations.
This was too great for me to even find the right words. Highly recommend. Over 200 “silly questions” get answered with fun bite-sized bits of information and thought-provoking illustrations.
September 25, 2025
This book is filled with almost every question a child could think to ask. While it's not the kind of book you would read straight through, it's a collection of related questions on each page, each with humorous illustrations. Dinosaurs, space, noses, animals, teeth.... It's a feast for the child who has a curious mind. I confess I did not know how many kinds of toilets there are, but it was amazing to find out. This book would be a great pick for a curious child who wants to know about everything. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.
October 10, 2025
This lively and enlightening book written by Mike Rampton and illustrated by Guilherme Karsten is an anecdote for the curious mind. With sections on space, babies, animals and more, seemingly no stone is unturned. Rampton fully explains answers in clear and accessible language. This book is sure to be a hit with children and adults alike. I look forward to this talented team tackling the next 200 questions.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Nosy Crow, Inc for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Nosy Crow, Inc for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.
January 10, 2026
Outstanding book of knowledge with beautiful illustrations! If I were still teaching history, I would have my students demonstrate their knowledge of a unit by creating questions on the topic, and writing paragraph answers with illustrations. I'd have them create a glossary of terms like this author did. Such a great concept. I learned so much! Can't wait to share this book with my granddaughter when she's a little older.
September 17, 2025
Thank you to Nosy Crow Inc. & NetGalley for the ARC!
This is so interesting for children! Anyone who has worked with a child knows they ask endless questions and this book really does provide all of those random and factual answers we just don’t seem to have on hand! Such a great resource for everyone! I cannot wait to use this in my classroom to help get students asking questions!
This is so interesting for children! Anyone who has worked with a child knows they ask endless questions and this book really does provide all of those random and factual answers we just don’t seem to have on hand! Such a great resource for everyone! I cannot wait to use this in my classroom to help get students asking questions!
June 11, 2025
I loved this book! Each of the facts are bite-sized and interesting, so you can pick it up and put it down without getting too committed. The illustrations are great as well. Would definitely recommend to any older elementary school-aged child.
August 23, 2025
A great introduction to lots of topics. The concise answers and colorful illustrations make this book perfect for any curious kiddo who loves to ask questions.
Thank you Nosy Crow for an eARC of this story through NetGalley!
Thank you Nosy Crow for an eARC of this story through NetGalley!
December 18, 2025
I love books like this and something new is learned EVERY time. Since I already gave it to another teacher, I can't remember this one's BIG revelation, but trust me, all readers will learn something new.
January 7, 2026
Super fun book that answers all the questions a kid could ever have! Super fun bedtime book that would help with al those late night burning questions kids have before bed. Can flip through it and learn bits about all kinds of things.
July 4, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Nosy Crow for the ARC of this one! I loved this one and the illustrations were amazing! I will be getting this one for my oldest who loves learning about all sorts of things.
September 16, 2025
This book has such good information. There are so many questions that kids have. It is a super cool book. It also has great graphics!
September 16, 2025
I enjoyed reading through this book and learning some new things even as an adult. I think there's some great information within and I think it's something that curious kids will enjoy. My only complaint about the book was the formatting of some pages. While most pages were in a standard left to right, top to bottom format, a few pages were formatted horizontally making it so that, while reading on a computer, I had to tilt my head to the side to read the page(s) or pick up the whole laptop or screen and turn it sideways. With a physical book this might be less of an issue, but it's not ideal in a digital book. Other than that, the writing was easy to understand and entertaining and the illustrations helped to add to the questions and answers and aided in keeping the book entertaining as well.
November 14, 2025
This book was so much fun! The writing is so funny, and the illustrations were PERFECT! Some of my favorite questions (and answers!) were “Why are fingers so perfectly size for nose-picking?”, “Why do babies cry so much?”, or “If they’d lived at the same time, would dinosaurs have eaten people, or would people have eaten dinosaurs?”
There were SO many questions in this book. More than I even anticipated (or could have thought about myself!). But the questions were short and quick to the point, providing straight-forward answers kids can understand.
This book is a must-have for any kid’s or school’s library.
Publisher recommends it for ages 8 to 12, but my 5 year old got a lot of the content and jokes so I would say 6 to 12.
There Are No Silly Questions: More than 200 Weird and Wacky Questions, Expertly Answered! will be published October 14, 2025.
Thank you to NetGalley, Mike Rampton (author), Guilherme Karsten (illustrator), and Nosy Crow Inc. for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
There were SO many questions in this book. More than I even anticipated (or could have thought about myself!). But the questions were short and quick to the point, providing straight-forward answers kids can understand.
This book is a must-have for any kid’s or school’s library.
Publisher recommends it for ages 8 to 12, but my 5 year old got a lot of the content and jokes so I would say 6 to 12.
There Are No Silly Questions: More than 200 Weird and Wacky Questions, Expertly Answered! will be published October 14, 2025.
Thank you to NetGalley, Mike Rampton (author), Guilherme Karsten (illustrator), and Nosy Crow Inc. for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews