JUST BEC AUSE

Mac Barnett
illustrated by
Isabelle Arsenault

Why is the ocean blue? What is the rain?

What happened to the dinosaurs? Any child
who has ever asked “Why?”— and any adult who
has attempted an explanation — will recognize
themselves in this sweet storybook for dreamers
who are looking for answers beyond “Just because.”

Use Just Because in your classroom to talk about

the difference between fact and fiction and
as a prompt for research, creative writing, and
illustration.
HC: 978-0-7636-9680-1
 • TEACHER TIPS
JUST
BEC AUSE
• Read the story aloud to your class. Point out that the father’s
explanations to his child’s questions are all very imaginative and
fanciful — fiction.

• Have a class discussion about the difference between fact and

fiction — things that really exist versus things created through
imagination.

• Assign each student one of the questions from the book and have
them come up with their own creative explanation and illustration.
Then they can use research tools to find the factual explanation to
the same question.

Illustrations © 2019 by Isabelle Arsenault