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Maybe Yes, Maybe No: A Guide for Young Skeptics by Dan Barker, Brian Strassburg (Illustrator) published by Prometheus Books

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 capable of figuring out what to believe, and of knowing when there just isn't enough information to decide. "You can do it your own way. If you are a good skeptic you will know how to think for yourself." "True, after reading this book, your child may be a little harder for you to deal with, may be a little less malleable. But your child will also be a little more of a free-thinker, a little more inclined to question, and, in our society, maybe a little safer." --Mphasis, newsletter of Greater New York Mensa "This book is not a lengthy, in-depth treatise on critical thinking; rather, it is a short story, aimed at children, portraying two very important messages: don't believe everything you hear; and, you have what it takes to find the truth all by yourself." --Humanist in Canada "Isn't it time children were taught not only to answer questions but to ask them as well?" --Library Talk ". . . a charming introduction to self-confident self reliance." --The Children's Bookwatch "As a science teacher, I am impressed with this book. The young scientist featured in the story is a female named Andrea. There can be little doubt that female students of science need more encouragement through role models." --Lois Hollett, for Discover

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