Oct. 10, 2007
A book review of Onion Breath by Steph and Dan Allosso (Minneapolis, MN: Stay Outside the Box Publishing, 2007).
Are you concerned that spiders may crawl into your mouth while you are sleeping?
I read this book to the campers at the Mini Camp Quest session at the Atheist Alliance International Conference, and they were quite entertained by the kooky story and striking illustrations. As for whether the book will help normalize atheism, only time will tell. One way I think it will help is that kids from non-religious families can add a story about an atheist family to their bookshelves. Whether it helps normalize atheism in broader society will depend on it being carried by libraries and bookstores, and being read by families who do not identify as atheists.
Some freethinking readers have critiqued the book for presenting a myth to explain why kids should try new things. The Allosso’s respond to this critique on their blog, arguing that kids understand that this is a fictional story that takes place in a "make-believe world," just like many other children's stories.
For the most part, I agree with their response, but I have to admit that a little part of me wishes that the boys’ were more skeptical of their nanny Shmirna’s claims. Eugene asks on page 12, “Why should we believe she’s telling the truth? I wonder if mom will let us hire a sleuth?,” but the boys quickly proceed to accept Shmirna’s story, and when they wake the next day spider-free they conclude that she was right, despite having seen no spiders in the morning in their pre-onion days.
On the other hand, there are only so many lessons that one can teach in a single children’s book, and the authors were probably right not to burden the story with chapter and verse on the rules of evidence.
The story is a fable about trying new things, a topic to which a lot of kids and parents can relate. It seeks to normalize atheism, and it also challenges gender stereotyping; when Roy and Eugene ask Shmirna to teach their future wives to cook, she replies that she will teach the boys now instead.
Perhaps the Allossos’ next children’s book can explore skepticism in the same whimsical way they cover these themes in Onion Breath. In the meantime, parents can use this book as a jumping off point for a discussion about evidence by asking their kids if they are convinced by Shmirna’s story, and what it would take to get them to believe her.
I highly recommend this book to parents, regardless of their worldview, who are looking for a fun story to read with their kids. It is probably best suited for kids ages five to ten. For more information about the book visit http://www.onionbreath.net
Amanda K. Metskas is the executive director of Camp Quest http://www.camp-quest.org. Her co-authored essay about Camp Quest appears in Parenting Beyond Belief, an edited collection on the challenges and joys of freethought parenting.
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