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sarahrosebooks's review against another edition
3.0
There are some good and bad points about this book. The good:
1. It's excellent for children (especially those interested in science or who just ask a lot of questions). I'd say from the age of 12 and up, because even though the language is easy to understand, a couple of the references wouldn't be appropriate for a child of a younger age.
2. It's clear and concise. Dawkins says what he wants to say and wastes no time in doing it. The questions at the beginning of each chapter usually lead to a summary of myths surrounding the question and then a scientific explanation in answer to it. It's good even for adults who are just starting out on the subject, or who have children and want to know what they're talking about when they bring their homework to them for help!
3. The subject matter - don't expect any pandering to religion here. This is Dawkins you're reading - anyone who knows even the slightest bit about this man will know that religion gets harsh treatment from him. It's no different here, even if it is less aggressive. Religious stories are treated as just that: stories. Fiction. If you are deeply religious then I'd suggest only reading this if you can take it and not get angry. You should know what you're getting into when you read someone like Dawkins, or if you are buying this for your child to read.
4. The illustrations are nice, but not really big enough in the paperback version. I don't even know if there was a hardback copy first. There's an advert for an app in the back of the paperback, which I believe is quite good. Plus, it's Dave McKean illustrating - if he did the app, too, then of course it will be good!
The bad:
1. The language is a little condescending, especially if you're an adult reading this.
2. It's not marketed very well! I had no idea that this was a book aimed at children until I actually started reading it. The reviews on the cover are mostly correct - it can be taken as a book for all ages. But the language is clearly aimed at children, and the subject matter, though not exactly dumbed down, is kept simplistic to a certain extent - it has to be for a book of this size.
1. It's excellent for children (especially those interested in science or who just ask a lot of questions). I'd say from the age of 12 and up, because even though the language is easy to understand, a couple of the references wouldn't be appropriate for a child of a younger age.
2. It's clear and concise. Dawkins says what he wants to say and wastes no time in doing it. The questions at the beginning of each chapter usually lead to a summary of myths surrounding the question and then a scientific explanation in answer to it. It's good even for adults who are just starting out on the subject, or who have children and want to know what they're talking about when they bring their homework to them for help!
3. The subject matter - don't expect any pandering to religion here. This is Dawkins you're reading - anyone who knows even the slightest bit about this man will know that religion gets harsh treatment from him. It's no different here, even if it is less aggressive. Religious stories are treated as just that: stories. Fiction. If you are deeply religious then I'd suggest only reading this if you can take it and not get angry. You should know what you're getting into when you read someone like Dawkins, or if you are buying this for your child to read.
4. The illustrations are nice, but not really big enough in the paperback version. I don't even know if there was a hardback copy first. There's an advert for an app in the back of the paperback, which I believe is quite good. Plus, it's Dave McKean illustrating - if he did the app, too, then of course it will be good!
The bad:
1. The language is a little condescending, especially if you're an adult reading this.
2. It's not marketed very well! I had no idea that this was a book aimed at children until I actually started reading it. The reviews on the cover are mostly correct - it can be taken as a book for all ages. But the language is clearly aimed at children, and the subject matter, though not exactly dumbed down, is kept simplistic to a certain extent - it has to be for a book of this size.
beecycling's review against another edition
5.0
I remember when I was a kid owning large format hardbacks books about natural history and astronomy with great photos and illustrations, published by companies like Reader's Digest and Time Life. They were books I could go back to over and over and were inspiring to my young mind. I think this book would have fitted in very well with them. I wish I'd had it then. It's a thing of beauty as well as being interesting and educational, with glossy pages with gorgeous illustrations. Highly recommended to adults and kids!
erikars's review
3.0
The audio version of this book is read by Richard Dawkins and some other Lalla Ward. This is mainly relevant because it meant that I got to spend 5 hours listening to British accents. =)
The book itself was good. Each chapter poses a question, gives some answers provided by traditional myths, and then talks about the real scientific answer. I'll lay out up front, that yes, Dawkins does use the Bible for some of his examples of myths, but except to the biblical literalists (especially of the Creationist variety), these are the parts of the Bible that are generally taken to have a mythical element.
Also, while I'm on the disclaimers, this book focuses on where Dawkins does best -- explaining science in a manner accessible to the lay reader -- but it does veer just a little into rantiness in one of the later chapters.
Moving along, the questions and answers presented in this book should be broadly familiar to anyone who had an retained a decent science education, but there was the occasional moment of "so that's how it works!" illumination. For me, one such moment was the explanation of why the angle of the earth relative to the sun makes such a difference in perceived temperature [1]. From an educational standpoint, I think that this would be a really great book to get for a high school student or even an advanced middle school student.
[1] When the sun hits the earth at a shallower angle, the same amount of solar energy is spread over a wider area, so the energy received per square inch is decreased.
The book itself was good. Each chapter poses a question, gives some answers provided by traditional myths, and then talks about the real scientific answer. I'll lay out up front, that yes, Dawkins does use the Bible for some of his examples of myths, but except to the biblical literalists (especially of the Creationist variety), these are the parts of the Bible that are generally taken to have a mythical element.
Also, while I'm on the disclaimers, this book focuses on where Dawkins does best -- explaining science in a manner accessible to the lay reader -- but it does veer just a little into rantiness in one of the later chapters.
Moving along, the questions and answers presented in this book should be broadly familiar to anyone who had an retained a decent science education, but there was the occasional moment of "so that's how it works!" illumination. For me, one such moment was the explanation of why the angle of the earth relative to the sun makes such a difference in perceived temperature [1]. From an educational standpoint, I think that this would be a really great book to get for a high school student or even an advanced middle school student.
[1] When the sun hits the earth at a shallower angle, the same amount of solar energy is spread over a wider area, so the energy received per square inch is decreased.
zkendall's review
4.0
A nice introduction to science and a nice discussion of superstition and myth.
kvlreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
jefftstevens's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I really like Dawkins’ style and approach. He explains the importance of science so well, and so clearly. I loved the chapter on Miracles.