Rating: 
Summary: Should have a "Zero Star" rating
Review: "Facts not Fear" is nothing but a vehicle for the environmentally ignorant to try to teach children that nothing they so can impact the earth in a negative way. The section on pesticides made my blood run cold.
Rating: 
Summary: A valuable resource for the responsible modern parent
Review: An exceptionally helpful book for parents who want to help their children deal rationally with the rain-forests of enviro-propaganda. With logic, facts, and science, this book takes on the many frightening myths and exaggerations to which school children currently are routinely exposed. Yet, at the same time, it is far from an apology for environmental destruction, as it teaches responsibility and respect for the planet.
Are we really going to run out of oxygen due to deforestation? Is overpopulation really the crisis that the schools say it is? Will billions starve? Are millions going to die from skin cancer due to ozone depletion? Are we really running out of trees and other resources? Are we "deforesting the U.S. at the fastest pace in our history" as the Sierra Club claims? Is the planet overheating? Is there really no more room for landfills? These questions require facts, not fear, and the authors deliver the former while discussing reasonable solutions to real environmental problems.
Most chapters of the book have been reviewed for technical content by two or more scholars in relevant areas, whose names and affiliations are given. For example, Chapter 17, "Don't Eat That Apple!" (dealing with the overblown fears of chemicals in foods) was reviewed by Dr. Gordon Gribble, Professor of Chemistry at Dartmouth University; by Dr. Joseph D. Rosen, Professor of Food Chemistry at Rutgers University; and Dr. Steven Safe, Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology at Texas A&M University. Chapter 18, "A Garbage Crisis?" was reviewed by Dr. M.B. Hocking, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Victoria; by William Rathje, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arizona and Director of the internationally recognized Garbage Project; and by Dr. Clark Wiseman, Professor of Economics at Gonzaga University.
Parents will learn what school textbooks are saying about the environment, and will find helpful information and documentation to balance what is incorrect or exaggerated. Parents will also find helpful discussion topics and recommended exercises and activities to help their children better understand these important topics in real contexts:
For example: "When your children raise concerns about the air pollution created by cars, ask them if they would rather live in a world with 'clean, nonpolluting' horses instead of polluting cars... "Sit down with your children and add to their list of household chores feeding the horse twice a day and cleaning the stall or corral. (Few children realize that horses create forty pounds of manure per day and that this 'pollution' must be disposed of.) Or, take your children to visit a local stable. Have the owner or manager show your children the stalls and what it means to 'muck out a stall.' Ask the owner to tell your children how much waste is produced by the horses and how the people who work at the stable get rid of it. Then ask your children to imagine every car on your block replaced by a horse. What would the street be like? How would it smell?"
The authors have provided a very useful resource for the responsible modern parent.
Rating:
Summary: a balanced book?
Review: As a parent who is also a teacher of high school Environmental Science, I found this book very informative and solid. The textbooks I am required to use in teaching environmental issues are unfortunately very biased and one-sided. I cannot in good conscience teach children that their world is doomed, and this book presents a balanced look at problems and presents possible solutions where needed. The graphs are extremely telling and useful. While much so-called environmental "science" is really pushing a socialist political agenda, this book presents statistics and facts in a way that is accessible to all. It is a useful resource for both parents and teachers of all ages of children.
Rating:
Summary: A useful resource
Review: As a parent who is also a teacher of high school Environmental Science, I found this book very informative and solid. The textbooks I am required to use in teaching environmental issues are unfortunately very biased and one-sided. I cannot in good conscience teach children that their world is doomed, and this book presents a balanced look at problems and presents possible solutions where needed. The graphs are extremely telling and useful. While much so-called environmental "science" is really pushing a socialist political agenda, this book presents statistics and facts in a way that is accessible to all. It is a useful resource for both parents and teachers of all ages of children.
Rating: 
Summary: Sound Environmental Education
Review: Could global warming melt the polar ice caps and submerge coastal cities? Are the rain forests about to disappear? Does humankind face imminent starvation due to overpopulation? If you have children between kindergarten and twelfth grade -- or if you teach them -- they probably assume that the answer to these questions is yes. Such commonly accepted "facts" about the environment are found in textbooks, curriculum materials, and Saturday morning cartoons. Yet they are based on inaccurate and one-sided presentations of environmental topics. Facts, Not Fear is the first guidebook to help parents and teachers give their children and students a more balanced, science-based view of the many environmental controversies they encounter. In simple, non-technical language, authors Michael Sanera and Jane Shaw explain the myths and facts concerning fourteen major environmental topics, and show you how to set the record straight. Each of the fourteen topical chapters was reviewed by acknowledged experts. These chapters include answers to children's commonly asked questions about the environment and suggestions for easy-to-do home or school environmental activities.
Rating:
Summary: ESSENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL READING
Review: Facts Not Fear is an excellent book for both parents and educators alike. It is very refreshing to see the authors use scientific facts to explain and explore environmental issues, instead of "gloom and doom"scare tactics which are so prevalent in or childrens texts. Facts Not Fear is essential reading for virtually everyone, because it offers a balanced perspective on a variety of environmental subjects, from natural resoures to global warming. READ THIS BOOK TODAY!
Rating:
Summary: Environmental denial for kids
Review: Follows in the footsteps of Dixy Lee Ray and Gregg Easterbrook and others in denying the seriousness of environmental problems, this time sugar coated for parents and kids
Rating:
Summary: who are the supposed experts?
Review: From The Nation: Facts, Not Fear leaves out that many of its experts have ties to right-wing corporations and corporate polluters. Fred Seitz and Sallie Baliunas, for example, who review the chapter on ozone, have worked with the George C. Marshall Institute, which is funded by conservative foundations like Bradley and Scaife. M.B. Hocking, another of the experts, formerly worked for Dow Chemical. Donald Stedman has written for Heritage and worked for Ford Motor Company. The book, published by Regnery, also has ties to the religious right. The copyright belongs to the Alabama Family Alliance, part of the Focus on the Family network.
Rating: 
Summary: A guide no parent should be without
Review: Guess what, the sky is not actually falling! "Facts not Fear" is a book that encourages critical thinking in regards to environmentally significant issues. Nothing is ever as black and white as either industry or the "environmentalists" would lead you to believe. This book will serve as an invaluable tool to enable you and your children to make an informed decision regarding current environmental policy.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly Rational
Review: I am not a parent, but even I found this book to be a nice reference and an enjoyable read. It is rare and refreshing to find a book that treats environmentalism from a rational perspective.
Naturally, environmentalists are quick to attack it, as they should--such applications of reason and sound judgement threaten their agenda.
The information is thoroughly cited: you won't find the vague references to mystery "sources" prevalent in environmentalist books.
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