One of the greatest characters in cartoon history is Calvin's dad in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson.
Here's a neat collection of Calvin's dad explaining how the world actually works to his inquisitive son. For example:
Q. Why does the sun set?
A. It's because hot air rises. The sun's hot in the middle of the day, so it rises high in the sky. In the evening then, it cools down and sets.
Q. Why does it go from east to west?
A. Solar wind.
Link - via Miss Cellania
Q. Dad, how do they know how strong a bridge is?
A. They drive bigger and bigger trucks over it until it collapses, then they rebuild the bridge.
Then his wife tells him off.
dang!
beat me to it.
Very imaginative all around.