While it might be that a few religionists will sit up with alarm to notice Richard Dawkins’ The Magic of Reality, which engages young readers with very straightforward, scientific answers to some of the most important questions about reality, mostly the response will be one of wonder and interest.

Each chapter begins with a question: Who was the first person? What is the sun? When and how did everything begin? Why do bad things happen? Each question is followed by an outline of some of the myths that various civilisations have thrown up as answers.

Earthquakes, for example, have been variously explained by the divinely-inspired blowing of trumpets, a giant Japanese catfish flipping its tail, or the sneeze of a West African giant upon whose head people lived.

Once the myths have been dealt with, respectfully, as stories with more or less currency, Dawkins goes on answer the question with the ‘best possible answer, which is the answer of science’ which turns out to be as rich, if not richer, than the mythological answers to the same question. To Dawkins the scientific answer exceeds mythological: supernatural and stage magic are false. Science reveals to us the poetic magic of reality.

The embrace of imagination, of questioning wonder, is strengthened by comic artist Dave McKean’s frankly stunning graphics. His visuals are more than literalisations, they are artful, playful, fantastical and compelling.

The Magic of Reality is also a useful guide to parents who might not have the language to explain the scientific approach to answering some hard questions.

It’s difficult to imagine anyone who could find something controversial here at all.

David Sornig