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Let’s teach children to say “I don’t know” and help them understand the power behind it. Let’s talk to them about how it feels to not know something. And, finally, let’s be honest with children about the limits of our own knowledge. There is so much for all of us to wonder about together! For Emma Thank you to Amy Serkin Lenclos, Dalit Toledano, Amy Rennert, Susan Kaiser Greenland, Shelley Reicher-Lawrence, Tandy Parks, Jenny Meyer, and most important, my mother, Susan, and my husband, Sam – this book would not have been possible without your inspiration and guidance.

Eva walks down another path, looking for the moon, and a little, orange butterfly appears. Then she notices there are butterflies everywhere! ” “These butterflies have been flying around for a few days. But they started out as little caterpillars. And those caterpillars came from eggs. And those eggs came from other butterflies. There are cycles all around us, with one thing ending and another beginning. Things are always changing. ” “I don’t know,” answers her mother. “It’s another mystery! I like trying to imagine what was here before the beginning of everything.

So I went looking for a children’s book that would help us talk about the experience of not knowing, but I couldn’t find one. We live in a society where people are uncomfortable with not knowing. Children aren’t taught to say “I don’t know,” and honesty in this form is rarely modeled for them. They too often see adults avoiding questions and fabricating answers, out of either embarrassment or fear, and this comes at a price. When children are embarrassed by or afraid of the feeling of not knowing, they are preoccupied with escaping their discomfort, rather than being motivated to learn.