Questions Asked [Hardcover]

A picture book with fundamental philosophical questions, posed in a way only Jostein Gaarder is capable of. The illustrator has made an independent visual narrative that underscores the existential aspect of Jostein Gaarder's philosophical questions.Questions Askedshows confidence in a child's capacity to think deeply and read between the lines. The book follows a little boy traveling alone in an open landscape. Soon we realize he is on a journey of thoughts and dreams, asking questions about loss, myth, language, magic, and what it means to be a human being. Jostein Gaarder's philosophical questions merge with the beautiful illustrations of Akin Düzakin into a tale of friendship, love, and grief - and about daring to think about life as you live it. This gem by the Norwegian novelist Gaarder, with sweet, spectral art by the Turkish-Norwegian illustrator Duzakin, is a simple list of big questions all of us would do well to ask about life and how best to live it. As the topics flit around delightfully, it avoids being either heavy-handed or precious. . . Any of these could spur a deep conversation with a curious kid — or adult. —Maria Russo, New York Times Book Review

“Questions Asked taps the philosophical tendencies of 5-year-olds and up — all the way up — by venturing playfully into unanswerable territory. —Radhika Jones, The New York Times Book Review

A heady contemplation of mortality and existence. . . A haunting and provocative reminder that the void left by a person’s death or departure is often filled by difficult, even unanswerable questions. — Publishers Weekly

[Jostein Gaarder] brings out the existentialist in even the youngest reader... A story about love, death, and many topics in between... provide[s] an opportunity for readers of all ages to explore their own feelings on thesel¶