A Bucket of Questions

January 1, 2023
Musician, singer/songwriter, and multimedia artist Fite takes a headlong dive into the world of the absurd. After being introduced to a bucket that looks empty but is in fact "FULL of QUESTIONS," readers are asked a number of them. "Why do seals clap?" "Why do kids lose their teeth?" "What are hot dogs (actually) made of?" Each question is accompanied by three or four potential answers of varying silliness ("Hot dogs are made of lost teeth"). Meanwhile, wild typography and design and supremely busy black-and-white images give the entire book an outsider artist vibe comfortable with its own finely controlled chaos. Kids who balk at the lack of colors may find that the sole two-page spread of vibrant hues and shades at the heart of the book more than makes up for the dearth elsewhere. While each answer is silly, the questions act as prompts that could, if shared with inquisitive youngsters eager for discussion, lead to larger conversations or fun writing projects. And aside from an out-of-place cutesy note to readers at the start (wherein the author describes himself as "100% pooky-pooky"), the title does a good job of respecting the intelligence and curiosity of its intended audience. Humans depicted are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.) With the right kid in the right mindset, this escape into ludicrous answers may yield some very real explorations. (Picture book. 4-7)

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