Modulo

The Belief Book

Recommended Ages

3rd–8th grades

Talking with kids about belief—religious, cultural, and personal—can feel overwhelming. “The Belief Book” offers a gentle, cartoon-illustrated exploration of what beliefs are, where they come from, and how people decide what to accept as true. Written by David G. McAfee and illustrated by Chuck Harrison, it’s aimed primarily at secular and questioning families who want to encourage critical thinking and empathy. We appreciate how it normalizes asking questions while acknowledging that people hold many different beliefs for many reasons. It’s a good fit for roughly ages 7–12, especially as a conversation starter around big topics. Families from strongly doctrinal backgrounds may disagree with some framing, but many still find it useful for articulating their own views. Pro tip: read in short sections and invite your child to draw or write their own “belief map,” noting where their ideas come from and how they feel about them.

Secular, agnostic, or atheist families with kids roughly 7–12 who are starting to ask “big questions” about religion and belief, who enjoy cartoons and conversational text, and whose parents want to normalize curiosity and skepticism.

Pros

Short, fully illustrated introduction to what belief is, where myths and religions come from, and how the scientific method helps us investigate claims; widely used by secular and atheist homeschool families and even featured in secular homeschool podcasts as a thoughtful way to start big conversations about religion without preaching a specific faith.

Cons

The perspective is explicitly atheist and frames all gods and religions as human-made stories, which some readers feel is too one-sided or dismissive; a few reviewers find it repetitive and more basic than a true comparative religion survey, so older kids may need additional depth, multiple viewpoints, and follow-up discussion.

Because this is a trade book on religion from a secular perspective, funding eligibility varies widely; some public programs avoid explicitly religious or anti‑religious materials, so if you rely on charter or ESA funds, check your provider’s guidelines before purchasing.

$12.24

Get it
Share
Facebook X (Twitter) Pinterest
The Belief Book
$12.00 USD

Skills

What kids will learn
View all collections
Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking
Philosophy
Philosophy

The Belief Book Mission

The Belief Book’s mission is to give kids an open, non-dogmatic introduction to what beliefs are, where they come from, and how people decide what to accept as true. Through simple language, humor, and friendly illustrations, it invites young readers to explore religions, gods, and the scientific method side by side so they can ask their own questions and start building an evidence-based worldview.

The Belief Book Story

Religious studies scholar David G. McAfee wrote The Belief Book after realizing that most children’s materials either promote a specific faith tradition or avoid the topic of belief altogether. Wanting a resource that simply explained what belief is and how humans developed different stories about the world, he teamed up with writer–illustrator Chuck Harrison to create a fully illustrated, interactive book for curious kids and their grown-ups. Independently published and shared widely within secular, humanist, and interfaith communities, the book became the first in a series that helps families discuss big ideas like religion, doubt, and evidence in an age-appropriate way.

About Modular Learning

FAQ: Additional Details about The Belief Book

During a typical session you might read a few pages together at the table, then stop when the book poses a question like “How do we know if something is true?” Your child doodles in the margins, you talk through examples from everyday life, and perhaps look up a few different cultural or religious practices online to see how people answer the same question in different ways before jotting down your family’s thoughts in a notebook. 

The Belief Book is an illustrated nonfiction book that families often use as a conversation‑based read‑aloud about belief, religion, and the scientific method. Short, approachable chapters explain what beliefs are, how religions developed, and how we investigate claims using evidence, giving you natural pause points to ask questions, compare perspectives, and invite kids to think critically about big ideas. 

Parent or caregiver involvement is central here: the book is designed to spark dialogue rather than independent seatwork, so you’ll be reading together, clarifying terms, and guiding respectful conversation about differing worldviews.

Best for kids who can handle nuanced discussion—often around ages 8+—and who are ready to talk about religion and belief in a reflective, secular way; strong reading isn’t required if an adult is reading aloud, but curiosity and emotional readiness are important.

The Belief Book introduces religion and belief systems from a secular perspective, which can help analytical, autistic, or gifted kids make sense of big questions they’re already asking. Some families of anxious children may choose to read it slowly and invite lots of conversation about uncertainty and respect for differing views.

As with most books, refunds are handled by the retailer where you buy it; refer to that bookseller’s return policy for timelines and conditions.

Probably not a good fit for families wanting resources that affirm a specific faith tradition, for households where introducing an openly atheist viewpoint would cause serious conflict, or for kids already anxious about death or existential questions who might need a slower, more story-based entry point.

For a broader multi-faith survey, many families pair or replace this with DK’s What Do You Believe? or the Usborne Encyclopedia of World Religions; if you like the skeptical tone, you can extend with McAfee’s The Book of Gods and The Book of Religions or picture books like the Annabelle & Aiden series.

The Belief Book is the first in a series that also includes The Book of Gods and The Book of Religions, so you can expand into deeper exploration over time; the author continues to share resources for secular families through social media and interviews. 

Read only a few pages at a time and keep a visible list of your child’s questions; invite them to add examples from mythology, family stories, or current events, and circle back later with library books or documentaries that explore those questions from multiple perspectives.

Contact form

Meet David and Chuck

David G. McAfee is a journalist and religious studies scholar who writes about how and why people hold religious beliefs, with dual degrees in English and Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of multiple books on skepticism and religion and a longtime contributor to secular publications. Chuck Harrison is an American writer and illustrator whose comics, books, and artwork have appeared with a wide range of publishers, bringing a playful visual style to complex topics; together they created The Belief Book to blend McAfee’s scholarship with Harrison’s accessible, kid-friendly art.