Elle the Humanist: An Excellent Guide for Children in Non-Religious Families

I’ve posted on this site about Bailey Harris, the 14-year-old advocate for science education, who’s written three books about the subject geared to children.

Now her younger sister is following in her footsteps.

9-year-old Elle Harris (above) has written a book — an autobiography, in a sense — called Elle the Humanist that introduces young readers to concepts like the Golden Rule, the Platinum Rule, religious diversity, and what it means to be a Humanist.

Growing up in a secular household, but in a community dominated by one religion, Elle was one of the few kids in her third-grade class who wasn’t religious. When she talked to friends and classmates, she found that many of them had a hard time imagining someone who didn’t go to church or pray. Some others wondered how Elle could know right from wrong without religious leaders or sacred books to tell her.

The conversations Elle found herself having weren’t judgmental or contentious, but the result of honest curiosity. After school, Elle would ask her dad to help her explain what she believed and how she felt in a way that would make sense to the other kids at school. From those talks came ideas that eventually became Elle the Humanist — a warm, clearly expressed introduction to humanism for young readers.

There’s even a brief foreword from Daniel Dennett.

Elle is doing a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the printing and shipping, so consider making a donation to make this book a reality. It’s a really neat project in an area where, frankly, we could use more books.