Dawkins: The Magic of Reality.

chin_grin

I've read two of Dawkins' books (God Delusion and The Greatest Show on Earth). While very informative I feel there's a very obvious "I'm right and you're wrong" smugness coming out that I didn't like.

But I've always agreed with him in that grey area of what do we tell children. I'd dislike bringing one up in any form of religion (I'm agnostic myself), so I for the idea of this book.

http://gizmodo.com/5842051/a-childrens-book-that-celebrates-the-wonders-of-real

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlUPlpUci4c

A Children’s Book That Celebrates the Wonders of Real

We tell our children stories about fairies and giants and wizards and trolls—all still favorites, even as an adult. So let's not stop with the fables. But can't we also share with kids the wonders of what's real?

That's what evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has done with The Magic of Reality, a children's book that cares more about the magic you feel staring up at the stars than the kind that comes out of a wand. Dawkins divides the work into several sections that are scientific, historic, and astronomical, jabbing at various myths about his subjects before coming in with a haymaker of truth.

I'm getting married in a week and a half, and when I do I'm going to inherit two incredible nieces. And as much as I'm looking forward to sharing the joys of Peter Pan and the Cowardly Lion with them, I also can't wait to show them just how incredible the world around them is. [Open Culture via BoingBoing]

MrPudding

I have a copy of this, it arrived last week. It is a very beautiful book. Have not read it yet myself but it should be very interesting. Yes, I know it is a kids book, but it's mine and I am going to read it first!

MrP

Dades

Seems like a great idea on the face of it. My kids are a bit young for it but no doubt I'll include it in their future indoctrination program.

But it would be nice if kids at least knew more than the average adult about natural selection, etc. And I'd say quite a lot of adults will learn from this book too.

chin_grin wrote: »

While very informative I feel there's a very obvious "I'm right and you're wrong" smugness coming out that I didn't like.

That's the gauntlet you run when you take on people's long-held preconceptions.

Sarky

Where Is My Cow? is a childrens' book, but it's still one of the best Discworld novels out there. The Skullduggery Pleasant series is for kids, but similarly good reading. Childrens' books are awesome.

Dades

Don't get me started on Northern Lights and His Dark Materials!

mikhail

Sarky wrote: »

Where Is My Cow? is a childrens' book, but it's still one of the best Discworld novels out there...

Even if it did inspire possibly the bloodiest scene involving a protagonist in any of the Discworld novels in Thud. Trust Pratchett to somehow write the same blood-filled scene as a strangely sweet tale of a father's love for his son.

cavedave

There's treasure everywhere

johnners2981

Dades wrote: »

Don't get me started on Northern Lights and His Dark Materials!

Probably should read that again, must be 10 years now and all I remember is a big bear in armour

smokingman

Might see if I can pick this up but it'd want to be pretty amazing to get my son off his Gruffalo fix.


Gruffalo rox btw

Malari

Just saw an ad for this in a train station the other day and mentally added it to my reading list. Didn't realise it was aimed at children! Will probably get it anyway.:p

Looks ok

when I was a kid I had books about the natural world and they seemed magical enough - fireflies are one section of it I remember, and all sorts of animals, and this that and the other

smokingman

bluewolf wrote: »

Looks ok

when I was a kid I had books about the natural world and they seemed magical enough - fireflies are one section of it I remember, and all sorts of animals, and this that and the other

My parents got the mandatory set of encyclopaedias for us as kids and I was glued to them for years. Looking back at them now, the last time I was home, some of the entries are pretty funny given the huge mass of knowledge on subjects discovered since. (they were printed in 1977)

MagicMarker

Hmm, I don't recall my parents ever buying me books that didn't need to be coloured in!!

iguana

smokingman wrote: »

Might see if I can pick this up but it'd want to be pretty amazing to get my son off his Gruffalo fix.


Gruffalo rox btw

Have you tried the one about a mole who get's pooed on and goes searching for whoever's poo it is so he can poo on their head? A lot of natural world wonders in that one. Children learn the difference between rabbit poo, cow, poo, dog poo, etc. The mole even employs some forensic science by having the flies eat the poo so they can track the culprit. And kids love poo.

[-0-]

bluewolf wrote: »

Looks ok

when I was a kid I had books about the natural world and they seemed magical enough - fireflies are one section of it I remember, and all sorts of animals, and this that and the other

I love fireflies. They are AWESOME! Today is the first day of fall here in the states so I'm going to be sad to see them go for a while.

As a kid my father tried to get me interested in Pratchett. I think the only three books I read were Truckers, Diggers, and Wings - The Nome trilogy. I can't really remember much of it, but at the time it was hilarious and awesome.

Maybe when I'm done with my current reading list I will venture back to Pratchett. That make take a year or so hehe.

branie

I'm buying it today. It looks very interesting and should be worth a read

Undergod

I might get it! Looks fun.

Galvasean

Didn't he say the target audience is 8-100...

That's me!

Amtmann

bluewolf wrote: »

Looks ok

when I was a kid I had books about the natural world and they seemed magical enough - fireflies are one section of it I remember, and all sorts of animals, and this that and the other

Does anyone remember the Tell Me Why books that were popular in the 80s and early 90s?

I always had a 'fact book' (as I used to call them) close by when I was a child. Often they were divided into sections about the earth, the universe, plants and animals, and so forth.

I think books like that consolidated my atheism when I was very young along with - believe it or not - Star Trek: The Next Generation, which was on every Saturday night.

I'll definitely pick up a copy of The Magic of Reality. I'd have loved a copy when I was 8

oldrnwisr

There's an iPad app of the book now available on iTunes. Looks pretty classy, but then it should for €10.99.

The Magic of Reality (iTunes)

The Mad Hatter

oldrnwisr wrote: »

There's an iPad app of the book now available on iTunes. Looks pretty classy, but then it should for €10.99.

The Magic of Reality (iTunes)

Pricy. Dave McKean's illustrations are beautiful, though.

Tim Robbins

Will get it. But I'm finding a lot of repitition with Dawkins' stuff. I mean you could read another book on evolution or you could learn Python or Scala? I am veering more towards the latter these days. There's just way too much interesting stuff happening in the tech world right now: Cloud Architectures, REST, HTML 5, the rise of NoSQL, Hadoop - even the comback of Javascript is bloody interesting. When I read Dawkins stuff I find myself getting a little bit angry (either with him or the people he is slagging) but when I read a good tech book I just feel inspired.

I am beginning to think computers are usurping science in the same way science usurped philosophy as the number one brain chewing gum.

Just my two cent.

Galvasean

Tremelo wrote: »

Does anyone remember the Tell Me Why books that were popular in the 80s and early 90s?

I used to have Still More Tell Me Why.
Good things to have lying about the house. A wandering child might bump into one and accidentally learn something.

Mark Hamill

Galvasean wrote: »

I used to have Still More Tell Me Why.
Good things to have lying about the house. A wandering child might bump into one and accidentally learn something.

I had Lots More Tell Me Why. The only problem was for ages, as a kid, I though "Lots More" was the name of some scientist I had never heard of who had written the book .

ShooterSF

MagicMarker wrote: »

Hmm, I don't recall my parents ever buying me books that didn't need to be coloured in!!

Me too but that's more because at that age I figured all books could do with some colouring in!

ger vallely

This sounds like a fabulous book,definitely getting it for my family to read. @The Mad Hatter- is Dave McKean an illustrator on The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman? @ Iguana- that book is called The Mole Who Knew It Was None Of His Business. What a book! My kids have a copy and I regularly take it into work (a preschool) the little 'uns just love it.

the_monkey

Nice one !! will be getting this for my boy in a few years ,

Couldn't believe the stupidity of this comment

I watched his video presentation and I must say that I am a bit perplexed as to why he felt it necessary to label pieces of religious faith "myths." With respect to Virgin Mary appearing to children at Fatima, I'm not sure how science can label an event of this nature a "myth," when the only observers present were three children. The fact is that no one, but the children themselves, will ever be able to describe what transpired that day. And thus any conclusion as to what the event was is speculation from the point of view of science, and faith from the point of view of religion.

WTF ??
I wonder did she have a straight face while typing that ??? hmmm my 4 year old nephew told me he saw a dinosaur the other day,
guess we'll have to re access the extinction theory...

Galvasean

the_monkey wrote: »

hmmm my 4 year old nephew told me he saw a dinosaur the other day,
guess we'll have to re access the extinction theory...

Damn right we will.

Delirium

Galvasean wrote: »

I used to have Still More Tell Me Why.
Good things to have lying about the house. A wandering child might bump into one and accidentally learn something.

That was one of my most treasured childhood possessions. Excellent book for curious children.

The Mad Hatter

ger vallely wrote: »

@The Mad Hatter- is Dave McKean an illustrator on The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman?

technically, no, but he did all the cover illustrations. He's done a little other work in comics, and also does book illustrations (including the illustrations for Neil Gaiman's Coraline) and at least one movie (another collaboration with Gaiman called Mirrormask).