“The Elementary School Knowledge Encyclopedia That Makes You Smarter Through Questioning” carefully selects 100 questions that children naturally come up with in their daily lives. When you ask kids, without any restrictions, “What are you curious about?”, the wildly imaginative and diverse questions they pose surprisingly align with the four core domains of the 2022 revised elementary school integrated curriculum: “How Do We Live?”, “What Sustains Us?”, “Where Do We Live?”, and “Who Are We?”.

“Why do dung beetles collect feces?” “Why is there a seven-day week?” “Why does our stomach rumble when we’re hungry?” “Is a name really necessary?” “Will my mom one day become a grandma too?”… These vivid questions, drawn straight from everyday life, start with children’s curiosity and guide them to expand their thinking and keep exploring. Notably, many of the questions kids ask don’t immediately reveal what they truly want to know. This book helps by leading children to organize and clarify the meaning of their questions, turning vague curiosity into clear knowledge and logical reasoning. Such questioning practice isn’t about mastering the art of finding standard answers; it lays a solid foundation for children to gradually build their own way of thinking.

A Primary School Teacher with 23 Years of Experience Shares Her Expertise—A Knowledge Guide Designed Just for Kids The 100 curious questions chosen by the children themselves span science, ethics, social studies, and every aspect of daily life and school, covering an exceptionally broad range of topics. To accurately capture and answer these unpredictable, wide-ranging curiosities, nothing beats the firsthand experience of constant eye contact and ongoing dialogue with students.

The author of the book’s “Curious Answers” section, Ms. Kim Sun, is a primary school teacher with 23 years of classroom experience and a fellow question‑seeker alongside her students. She answers their questions in a light‑hearted, engaging way, as if chatting warmly right beside them. Faced with a question like “Why do wildfires happen?”, she not only provides accurate scientific knowledge but also explains the safety rules that must be followed. And when a child asks, “What should I do if I’ve quarreled with a friend?”, she becomes a reliable mentor, soothing their emotions and helping them understand and resolve the conflict. A key feature of this book is that it goes beyond simply imparting knowledge; it also guides children to think independently and tackle real‑life problems they encounter every day.

Although presented as a “knowledge encyclopedia,” “The Elementary School Knowledge Encyclopedia That Makes You Smarter Through Questioning” is infused throughout with the wisdom Ms. Kim has gained over 23 years of deep engagement with her students in the classroom. There’s no dry lecturing here—only warm, finely tuned prose that meets children exactly where they are. It not only helps them grasp knowledge but also shapes their attitude toward the world and their inner selves.

Building the “Ability to Find Answers”—Ten Types of Questions to Develop Questioning Skills → 300 Extension Questions If you observe the kinds of questions children regularly ask at school or at home, you’ll notice a striking difference between those who think independently well and those who don’t. Habitually asking “Why?” is one level of thought, while probing deeper into the essence of things and then asking “Why is it like this?” represents another, higher stage. A child who explores the heart of a matter is driven by curiosity, never stopping at just one correct answer but letting their inquiry stretch endlessly, creating a sustained flow of questioning.

“The Elementary School Knowledge Encyclopedia That Makes You Smarter Through Questioning” zeroes in on this very point. Starting with 100 basic questions drawn from children’s everyday lives, the book uses ten types of questioning—such as “Turning Information into Questions,” “Reverse Questioning,” “Knowledge‑Expansion Questions,” “Problem‑Solving Questions,” “Comparison Questions,” and “Perspective‑Shift Questions”—to help children practice expanding their questions and searching for answers. For example: “Is a name really necessary?” → “If many people share the same name, what inconveniences might arise?” (a knowledge‑expansion question); “Who built the playground?” → “Are there playgrounds designed just for adults?” (a perspective‑shift question). Each question comes with three different extension questions, guiding children through a series of interconnected thinking exercises. As they work step by step through these 300 extension questions, children will experience the exhilaration of discovering answers on their own, gradually growing into proactive learners who can confidently pose their own unique questions about any topic.

In an era where artificial intelligence provides the answers, what matters more than learning is the ability to ask questions!

As AI technology advances at breakneck speed, the ability to pose insightful questions and seek answers on one’s own has become more crucial than ever—far more so than simply accumulating vast amounts of knowledge. In this context, “questioning competence” is emerging as an essential core skill for both adults and children. Yet this skill does not develop overnight; it must be cultivated over time, starting in childhood when curiosity is at its peak.

Responding to these changing times, Hanbit Education has launched “The Elementary School Knowledge Encyclopedia That Makes You Smarter Through Questioning”—a general‑knowledge reader for primary‑school students that begins with children’s “whys” to expand their thinking and nurture their questioning abilities. The book organizes 100 everyday curiosities into an encyclopedic format; beyond mere knowledge transmission, it goes further by transforming basic childlike questions into ten distinct types, systematically guiding young minds to think independently and ask questions proactively. By breaking the habit of fixating on standard answers, it turns children’s small curiosities into sparkling, thought‑provoking inquiries. “The Elementary School Knowledge Encyclopedia That Makes You Smarter Through Questioning” will serve as a steadfast guide, helping children naturally make questioning a lifelong habit through reading.

Kim Sun‑yeon

A primary school teacher with 22 years of experience, she is dedicated to promoting financial education in the elementary school sector. She delivered a keynote address at the 2023 Seoul Financial Expo and developed economics curriculum materials for the Korea Development Institute (KDI). For her efforts in children’s allowance education—including writing books and conducting workshops for parents, students, and teachers—she was awarded the 2023 Economic Education Award (Chairman’s Prize of the Small and Medium Business Administration).

Currently, she shares practical approaches to financial education through her YouTube channel, “Elementary Life Designer,” aiming to enhance children’s financial literacy. Her publications include *The Child Who Spends Money on Games*, *The Child Who Buys Samsung Stock*, *Fifth Grader’s Allowance Diary*, and *How to Use Your Allowance Wisely*.

Part One: How Should We Live?
Part Two: What Do We Live By?
Part Three: Where Do We Live?
Part Four: In What Capacity Do We Live?