Why?

Though the lovely and whimsical quality of the illustrations in this book would certainly appeal to children as well as many an adult, the thought-provoking content makes it most suitable as a prompt for discussion. Back in the day before I retired from teaching I would have certainly used this book as a discussion starter in any of my middle school history classes, as it makes graphically clear how the us-them mentality leads to hostility. I could even see it used as an allegory for schoolyard brawls! Along with Eve Bunting's Terrible Things, this book shows how "children's" literature can cross genre barriers. Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust

I think that this book is really the most profound explanation of how a war starts and how it ends. I have used this wordless amazing book in order to discuss with children about war. I have taught a course called 'The little philosopher' in a gifted children institute; I sat with the kids and each child had to tell the story of one page. The class was so great! This picture book is a wonderful educational material. I believe that Popov succeeded in teaching (with beautiful pictures) that one should always stop and re-think the reasons of a deep conflict. As an Israeli, I can see how difficult this can be! In addition, it reminded me of my childhood; I have three older brothers (the difference in age between four of us is 6 years) and our home was literally a battle field. Do the world a favor, buy many copies of Why? and distribute them to whoever you know!

I was looking at this book with my sister (who's a teacher), and we loved it. There's no writting, so children can discuss what happened in th argument etc... It's also a story that can mean many things, from fights on the playground to war.

I am currently a 5th grade teacher, but I have shared this book with 4th graders also. It is a great book to bring out when "trouble" begins to brew in your classroom. The students are facinated with a "wordless" book, and they also enjoy reading a picture book (something they often do not read as they get older). This book illustrates what happens when 2 individuals start an argument and then gain assistance from others who are not originally involved, resulting in a large catastrophe . These situations happen many times on the playground, and all I have to do is show them this book and discuss that fighting does not improve anything. I recommend this to all upper grade teachers. I enjoy it, and it teaches a valuable lesson in life.

Popov's allegorial tale is a witty and provocative tale that will appeal to "readers" of all ages. His drawings have a dark comedic edge that does not undermine the seriousness of his message. "Why?" is a wonderful book for stimulating discussion on conflict, its causes and its end results. Bravo, Popov, for a job well done.