Logic for Kids: All Aboard the Therefore Train!

Logic for Kids is intended to help parents take charge of the intellectual development of their children in a critical area: the acquisition of skills related to logical reasoning. Many other books, including math and science books, fail to treat logic as a subject in its own right, provide no special instruction, and expect students to figure out logic on their own. Without the corrective measures explained in this book, students will be ill-prepared to cope with increasing intellectual demands as they progress from grade to grade. These demands will become greater and more varied in college and once they embark on a professional career. Getting started in logic at the earliest opportunity is the answer.

Table of Contents:
1. Hi, Kids! 2. What This Book Is About 3. Why Therefore Is Important 4. Vocabulary 5. Friends We’ll Play Fun Games With 6. Switchy, Gridley, Lefty, Righty, Dotty 7. Curly, Ampy, Wedgy 8. Pointy, Triply 9. Super Pointy, Dashy 10. Forms 11. Our Special Tracks 12. Proving Tracks Are Safe 13. Proving Tracks Are Unsafe 14. Matching Safe Tracks 15. Matching Unsafe Tracks 16. Trips on Safe Dashy Tracks 17. More Trips on Safe Dashy Tracks 18. Trips on Safe Triply Tracks 19. Trips in Science 20. Trips in Math 21. Three New Safe Tracks 22. Bye, Kids!

About the Author :
Arnold Cusmariu has a PhD in philosophy from Brown University, has taught logic and has published original work in logic. He joined the Central Intelligence Agency after academia, working as an analyst and retiring in 2010. Also a sculptor, his preferred medium is stone.

Review :
"This delightful book is in the spirit of the Philosophy for Children movement. It makes a difficult and arcane subject accessible to a very special audience, a task largely neglected by K-12 education. Using a conversational, interactive style, the narrative is sprinkled with affirmations of progress, of taking time to think or be puzzled, of attending to detail and of being precise; it is imaginative and playfully creative in its use of metaphors, names, and games, even inviting kids to take a break by thinking about music and art. But this is no "watered down" version of the material. The book takes a well-informed, distinctive approach to technical concepts and principles of logic and includes practical examples, illustrations, explanations, and applications of good and not so good reasoning. Parents may also learn much in helping their children work through Logic for Kids." Prof. Robert W. Hoag The Henry Mixter Penniman Chair in Philosophy, Emeritus, Berea College, USA I informed my daughter early on that logic would be her lifetime companion and did my best to help her develop the ability to argue correctly. Because this was not always easy, I often felt the need for a book that got the details right but was also fun to read. My daughter is 10 years old now, so Logic for Kids comes at the right time. It explains the difference between correct and incorrect reasoning in ways she can understand and apply. This knowledge will help kids generally become more reflective and less impulsive, better to channel creativity in constructive directions. The book is perfect for parents seeking to make sure their kids develop much-needed critical thinking skills." Dr Cătălina-Daniela Răducu Romanian Academy, Romania "The ability to reason logically is one of the most important skills people can acquire, both for their education and in life. This book tries to catch people early; to teach them logic while they are still young. It does so brilliantly; it builds with easy-to-follow steps to a surprising level of sophistication, which will cement the fundamentals of logic firmly in place. This is done with verve and imagination in ways that will appeal to children and can be tackled at whatever speed suits the individual. Working through this book can only benefit those who do so." Prof. Derek Matravers The Open University, UK