A boy, his dog and atheism: Weingarten talks about new children’s book

[rug]

By MICHELLE BOORSTEIN
Washington Post
Sunday, September 28, 2014

Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten is known for exploring morality in both somber and extremely silly ways, including an in-depth article on parents who mistakenly leave their children to die in hot cars and an essay that asks, among other things, whether it’s possible to steal a fart.

His new book, out this week, lays out different questions, and for a new audience. It’s a book on atheism for children.

In Me & Dog, Weingarten – who is an atheist – and his regular illustrator-collaborator, Eric Shansby, introduce a dog named Murphy and a kid named Sid whom he worships and tries to please. The pair stand in for humans and God, and through big, colorful drawings and rhyme pose questions some probably will find insightful and others offensive.

In interviewing Weingarten about the book, I wondered how kids would receive it, which led to a collaboration with our colleagues at Post TV. We brought 13 children from a wide range of faith backgrounds into the Post studios and asked them general, broad questions about the nature of God, transcendence and morality. You can watch the video at wapo.st/kidstalk0920.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/doseetaste/books/13685351-95/a-boy-his-dog-and-atheism-weingarten-talks-about-new-childrens-book

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/national/kids-talk-about-god/2014/09/17/5f813366-3dee-11e4-a430-b82a3e67b762_video.html

http://www.amazon.com/Me-Dog-Gene-Weingarten/dp/1442494131

[Prophet 451]

1. Could be interesting

He has just as much right to publish a kid's book promoting atheism as other authors do writing kid's books that promote theism. Free market of ideas and all that.

[rug]

2. I love children's books. The good ones have gems in them, from the pictures to the situations.

If there was a damn bookstore left within 30 miles of me, I'd spend 20 minutes in the children's section browsing through it.

[Prophet 451]

3. My condolences

I live in a fairly large (by UK standards) city so there are two large bookshops close-by. Browsing Amazon just isn't the same.

[AtheistCrusader]

4. It's a dying art, that's for sure.

Last one around here at all, is Barnes and Noble. Which is ok for me, because I had the foresight to buy a Nook rather than a Kindle. But just barely.

[cbayer]

5. Looks very good.

I am glad that there is children's literature available for families that want to teach their kids about atheism or no-belief in general.