Onion Breath

Who likes onion breath? Well, no one likes onion breath, but these words take on a sweeter meaning with a new children's book. Onion Breath tells the fun story of two brothers who are fussy eaters, refusing anything but mac-and-cheese. Mother does not know how to get them to eat new things, but Shmirna, the nanny, does. Shmirna tells the boys that spiders crawl into their open mouths at night, and the only way to stop the spiders is having onion breath by eating something new - onions. The macabre gambit works, and the boys learn the value of trying new things.

The quirky-fun story is told in clever rhyme, and the bright artwork really pops off the pages with its blend of sketches, fabric designs and occasional cut-and-pasted photos. I tuned into my "inner child" while reading the book, and enjoyed the flights of imagination, the humor, and even the scary spiders of Onion Breath.

Page 34 of this book has a matter-of-fact reference to atheism: Now try the side dish and don't make a face. We're all atheists, so no need to say grace. The story moves right along, just as life should move right along for all of us.

We've all seen ostensibly secular children's books that slip in overt religious messages. Onion Breath may seem to be the flip side of this, but that comparison is unfair because the book is not pushy, preachy, or apologetic about atheism. It's just a book about atheists written by atheists with one reference to atheism just to fit a rhyme. No hushed tones, no focal point, no big deal.

Onion Breath authors Steph and Dan Allosso have donated a box of the books to the freethinking summer camp Camp Quest, and the book is available for purchase through the Onion Breath website.

The Allossos have included an epilogue and a paragraph on the back cover that describe the atheism reference. Ideally, this would not be necessary, but then again, this is possibly the first children's book about an atheist family. Can the era of "Atheist? So what?" be upon us in the future? That's a pleasant thought, and a trendsetter may very well be Onion Breath.