In today's media-flooded world, there is no way to control all of the information, claims, and enticements that reach young people. The best thing to do is arm them with the sword of critical thinking.

Maybe Yes, Maybe No is a charming introduction to self-confidence and self-reliance. The book's ten-year-old heroine, Andrea, is always asking questions because she knows "you should prove the truth of a strange story before you believe it."

"Check it out. Repeat the experiment. Try to prove it wrong. It has to make sense." writes Barker, as he assures young readers that they are fully...

This captivating book affirms a child's ability to think, to seek information, and to question "why?"

Children should be given information, not dogma, and tools for critical thought, not holy books, asserts Dan Barker. Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong teaches children important humanistic ideas. Andrea, the book's main character, distinguishes between rules and principles, finds that there is not always a "right" thing to do, and realizes that sometimes the "right" thing is to choose the lesser "wrong." Her most important insight: Regardless of one's own beliefs, you should respect everybody's...

For centuries, adherents of the world's religions have had plenty of fiction to enjoy. Pick up any holy book, and you'll find an entertaining collection of silly fantasies-yet millions of people believe them and base their entire lives around them. It would be funny if the world weren't run, and constantly imperiled, by these religions-as it has been since man first made up stories to explain the unexplainable. Now comes Atheist Tales, a collection of speculative-fiction stories with themes to appeal to the disbeliever. After all, if the religious folks can have their books of fairy tales,...