In the third of a series of Really, Really Big Question books, Law delves again into philosophy for children. Read full book review >

Trimming down his popular Philosophy Gym (2003) for a younger audience, Law brightly discusses about four dozen scientific, ethical and philosophical puzzlers. In Q&As that range in import from "What is Nothing?" and "Is it wrong to design a baby?" to "Do fairies exist?" and "Can you bend a spoon with your mind?" ("I doubt it, but give it a try"), he provides not only topics to mull over, but also, with simply phrased pro-and/or-con comments about each, some intellectual tools for the mulling. Though he does sometimes wax glib—somewhat oversimplifying Rosa Parks's role in the Civil Rights Movement, for instance, and offering a perfunctory straw-man argument in "support" of Intelligent Design—his stances are generally fair and open minded, and he consistently gives readers encouragement to develop their own opinions. Illustrated by Choksi with comical, broadly drawn figures done in a retro '50s style and housed within covers designed to look well-worn, this breezy mind-expander tackles plenty of thorny Big Ones in a refreshingly nonthreatening way. (Nonfiction. 10 & up) Read full book review >