During the Q&A at Pacific Science Center on Monday, someone asked PZ to recommend a good children’s book on atheism. At the time, the best that PZ could suggest was that someone needed to write such a book; there was then a brief discussion of books on evolutionary science for kids. I didn’t have anything to offer: I dimly remembered a book by the philosopher Michael Martin called “The Big Domino In The Sky”, but that was about it. The subject came up again last night (E.coli for kids?), and so I decided to do a little digging.
Prometheus Books has published a number of children’s books on humanism, origins, evolution, and skeptical thinking. They include:
- “Humanism, What’s That?: A Book for Curious Kids” by Helen Bennett
- “The Tree Of Life: The Wonders Of Evolution” by Ellen Jackson
- “Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story” and “From Lava to Life: The Universe Tells Our Earth’s Story” by Jennifer Morgan
- “Maybe Yes, Maybe No: A Guide for Young Skeptics” and “Just Pretend: A Freethought Book for Children” by Dan Barker
I have no idea how good these are, in part because such books often attract contrarian reviews at Amazon. It does appear, however, that there’s an opportunity for someone to come up with a children’s (or “young adult”) book on atheism: what it is, what it isn’t, an account of the natural origins of supernatural beliefs, how to respond to some of the common arguments against atheism, and a resource guide. Any volunteers? And any other suggestions and recommendations? (For or against!)