Did you burp? How to ask questions... or not! by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Leeza Hernandez

Anyone who works with kindergarteners should have this book. You know that point, where you ask "does anyone have any questions?" and you get three displays of injuries, a story of a pet dog, two kids start yelling about who can burp the loudest, and the smart aleck of the class wants to know if you're done talking? Yeah, that.

Sayre starts about by explaining exactly what a question is and why we ask them. To get information, to get things we need, because we are curious, and to learn new things. She shows all the different things questions can do, show that you care about someone and help you try again. On the other side of the coin are answers and kids learn exactly how the exchange works. How to ask a question and what shows that it's a question - punctuation, voice cues, and question words. She also addresses manners; there is a right and wrong time to ask questions, and some questions are only appropriate in certain situations. Sayre reinforces that it's ok to make mistakes and sometimes, especially when we ask the wrong person, the answer will be "I don't know."

Then the part that all teachers will want! Explaining how a question is not a statement, comment, or story! Sayre shows a casual conversation, a mix of questions and comments, and readers end up back at the beginning scene, ready to go out and ask questions!

Each spread illustrates the concept of the text, showing a diverse group of students, in Hernandez' cheerful art style, asking questions. Kids demonstrate the wrong questions at the wrong time - asking the president if her tummy hurts! - and at the right time, the doctor asking how a patient feels. On a zoo tour, the kids learn the difference between telling a story or making a comment and asking a question. Throughout the students demonstrate empathy and kindness to each other. Even when they make mistakes, they can fix things and keep going, asking questions to learn about what's happening, their fellow students, and their world.

Verdict: Every teacher needs this. Possibly every librarian. Make that everyone - have you ever been at a conference when they open it up for questions and people clearly have no idea of what a question is? That. Read it aloud and read it often!

ISBN: 9781580897372; Published August 2019 by Charlesbridge; Purchased for the library