Children and the Tundra

For years, Dave Eggers and his brother, Toph, have moonlighted as the not-so-secret authors of the HOW series of faux-scientific texts for children. In each book, elderly scientist Dr. Doris Haggis-on-Whey takes on a subject and rearranges all previous assumptions. She is joined by her husband, Benny, who is pretty much useless. The series started with the cult classic Giraffes? Giraffes!, developed through Your Disgusting Head, and peaked with Animals of the Ocean (in Particular the Giant Squid) and Cold Fusion. To the naked eye, all of the books look like '50s-era grade school reference books, but inside they’re strange, deranged, and hilarious. This fifth volume is actually two books in one, as Dr. Doris, due to space constraints, is forced to explain both the concept of children — a species she doesn’t trust for a second — and the tundra, in one book.