Do Penguins Have Knees?: An Imponderables Book

by David Feldman

Book Overview

The highly successful Imponderables series continues with Feldman's best collection yet of questions about everyday life for which encyclopedias and other reference books just don't have answers. Destined to join the ranks of Feldman's earlier bestselling works like Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses? and When Do Fish Sleep?--this is a must for his growing legion of fans. Line drawings.ign.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060162945
• ISBN13: 9780060162948
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 265 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.7" x 5.8" x 1.1"

Customer Reviews

Answers to questions I never knew I had!

I recently found this book in the National Library Service for the Blind's Talking Book catalog and on their pilot web site for their new digital format. Curious, I downloaded a copy to see what Imponderables was all about. The short of it is that the Imponderables series takes little questions about things we encounter in everyday life, little things that, though we've never questioned how or why they got to be the way they are, we've nonetheless come to accept as, "just the way it is." These are questions that people write in to ask and, once gathered, the author, David Feldman, poses these questions to experts in the fields of study that pertain to the question. This has led to at least six Imponderables books, Do Penguins have Knees being the sixth. And for all I know, this having been my first such book, there could be more. And it's thanks to one of these books that we now know the answer to the trivial yet still troubling question of why hotdogs tend to come in packages of ten while hotdog buns seem only to come in packages of eight. Note that I haven't yet read the book in which this answer is revealed, but Penguins does tackle, among other things, the question of why, and more particularly how, we have hotdog buns that are only partially sliced. The most fascinating question for me had to do with one of my absolute favorite soft drinks, Dr. Pepper. The question was how it got its name and if there was ever really a Dr. Pepper. To put it simply, yes there was. In short if you're looking for an interesting read that combines humor with fact, then you should definitely check out the Imponderables series. I certainly intend to read more of them as soon as I can find copies.

So THAT'S the Answer To My Question!

It's a fun, informative book that holds the interest of pre-teens and adults alike. I would recommend the whole series to everyone.

Even someone who hasn't read a book in years will like this one.

Feldman keeps producing these books of imponderables;and they just keep getting better all the time. His books just go on asking questions and producing answers about those unlimited number of things we've all wondered about,and even many that we have come to accept as "that's just the way it is". Feldman encourages his readers to send in their own imponderables to answer ;much in the same way that Allan Funt did with Practical Jokes on "Candid Camera " and Robert Ripley did with his Oddities with his "Believe It or Not". I have been a fan of this sort of thing and their "stuff" has intrigued the curious,entertained the joker in us all and amazed all who are surprised to see the rare or unbelievable. This is the type of book that can be left hanging around, and anybody who picks it up will become engrossed in it in no time at all.Many of the imponderables you'll read about are not earth shattering,won't make much difference in your life,but nevertheless grab your interest and provide enjoyable pastime entertainment.Maybe the time spent waiting at the Dentist's,Doctor's ,Barbers or any other waiting room would be a little less painful if books like this were available rather than those awful magazines. Who wouldn't be interested in questions like these? "Why do straws in drinks sometimes sink and sometimes rise to the surface?" "Why is Rhode Island called an island when it obviuosly isn't an island." "How did they keep beer cold in the saloons of the Old West?" "Why are 25-watt light bulbs more expensive than 60-,75-,and 100-watt bulbs?" "Why do hospital gowns tie in the back?" "What causes the green-tinged potato chips we sometimes find? Are they safe to eat?" And how about thisimponderable that never seems to die? "Why are so many restaurants,especially diners and coffee shops,obsessed with mating Ketchup bottles at the end of the day? Believe It or Not,it prevents Explosions! Thats right!;you'll find out why,right here in this book!

Pondering the Imponderables

The author has a good formula going here. He takes an offbeat question and consults various experts, coming up with a plausible answer. Most of these I never would have thought to ask, but I still found myself intrigued by the answers. The questions include such topics as: *How do 3-D movies and 3-D glasses work? *Why do the rear windows of taxis only go part way down? *Why does grease turn white when it cools? *Why can't they make the flavor in chewing gum last longer? It's a handy book to keep around when you have interrupted or distracted reading times (doctor's waiting room, during TV commercials, etc.). It's entertaining.

For thsoe that have a thrist for odd bits of strange triva

With this book anyone should be able to stop those silly questions that run around the world wild. I greatly enjoy it and pop it open again and again whenever I run into a person that asks questions like "Why do coupons have 1/100 of a cent value"