Review - Don't Be Mean to Thirteen by Douglas Harris, Illustrated by YipJar

Today I have the privilege of sharing my review of, Don't Be Mean to Thirteen by Douglas Harris, an insightful, educational and entertaining children's book.

ISBN-13: 978-1952843136
Publisher: Label Free Publishing 
Release Date: 10-13-2023
Length: 24 pp
Source: Publicist for Review
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

Thirteen is feared and disliked for no good reason, while Twelve has always been so popular! When Thirteen and his friend Friday get together -watch out for friggatriskaidekaphobia! Explore the ancient historical roots of these popular superstitions while encouraging children to use evidence-based, critical thinking with our friend, Thirteen!

My Review:

Don’t Be Mean to Thirteen
By Douglas Harris
Illustrated by YipJar

 

Kids have enough to fear today without being afraid of superstitions like the fear of 13 and that’s exactly what author Douglas Harris tells kids in his new entertaining and educational book, Don’t be Mean to Thirteen. In the book a boy introduces the reader to his friend Thirteen telling them that some people fear the number and explaining that it’s a superstition and where that particular superstition may have originated. 

He then goes on to tell the reader that his friend Thirteen is special and should be celebrated and not feared. The book is brilliantly illustrated and gives young children the power to not be afraid of unexplained things like the superstition of the fear of thirteen. 

The illustrations are brilliant, colorful and presented in a way that is sure to hold a child’s interest. This book can be an instrumental way to take the fear out of superstitions by using two friends to explain why it’s silly. Young children will benefit from either reading or being read this book.

About the author:

Douglas is the co-author of the award-winning children's books My Name is Stardust, Stardust Explores the Solar System, Stardust Explores Earth's Wonders and Elle the Humanist. His upcoming book, Don't Be Mean to 13, will be released on Friday, October 13th, 2023!

Douglas co-authored the Stardust Book series with his 17-year-old daughter, Bailey Harris. My Name is Stardust is the first in their series of children's illustrated science storybooks and features a foreword by renowned evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins. Book two in the series, Stardust Explores the Solar System, was released in 2018. Book three, Stardust Explores Earth's Wonders, was released in 2019.

Douglas co-authored Elle the Humanist with his 12-year-old daughter, Elle Harris. Elle the Humanist is a beautifully illustrated book presenting humanist ideas and ethics in a way that's warm, welcoming, and accessible for young readers. It features a foreword by renowned philosopher and author Daniel Dennett.

In partnership with the Center For Inquiry and the Translations Project, Elle The Humanist and the three books in the Stardust Book series are available for free in Urdu, Arabic, Farsi and Bahasa Indonesia – languages chosen by the Translation Project to help make scientific and humanist literature more available in Muslim-majority countries, where access to such literature can be very limited.

Douglas was a featured expert panel speaker at the 2017 BookCon in NYC on Science and Education. While releasing his book at BEA/NYC in 2017, he was interviewed by Helen Little for The Public Library Podcast on iHeartRadio about science, education and literature.