Laura and Paul is a story about two children who find philosophical wonderment in everyday life. Written to encourage children's critical and creative thinking, Laura and Paul is loved by children of all ages who identify with both the characters and the situations in the story. The story follows Laura and Paul at home and at school where they wonder about questions such as 'Are numbers real?', 'What is trust?', 'Is it fair to lock animals in cages?, 'What makes a picture beautiful?', 'What makes me the person I am?', 'How do we know what is true?'. The story transforms the ideas of great philosophers into recognisable situations from daily family life. Swept along by the plot twists and mysteries, the child (and adult) reader is introduced to philosophical puzzles and dilemmas which transport them effortlessly into the realm of philosophical wonder, thinking and reasoning. Enjoyed throughout the world by adults and children as young as six, 'Laura and Paul' transforms lives by showing how to find wonder, delight and mystery in what can appear to be mundane everyday life. Laura and Paul works on many different levels. Written in simple language which is accessible to young children, on the surface it is a story with mysteries and plot twists which children love. However each situation and event in the story is 'seeded' with deep philosophical puzzles and dilemmas. Some of these puzzles are easily recognised while other are embedded more deeply within the story. The book can be read simply as a story, or it can be used with groups of children as a stimulus to discussion and dialogue - as featured in the BBC documentary 'Socrates for Six year olds' where a class of six year old children can be seen having a philosophical dialogue about questions stimulated by Laura and Paul. Cover illustration by Mary Haight
About the Author: Catherine C. McCall BA (Hons) MA TEFL MSc PhD FRSA . President of Stichting SOPHIA: The European Foundation for Doing Philosophy with Children, Dr. McCall trained as a Philosopher at Trinity College and Manchester University and as a Psychologist at the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology . In 1984 she pioneered the practise of philosophising with young children in the USA, and from 1985- 86 whilst a Professor in Montclair USA, she introduced Philosophy for Children to the UK, Eire, France, and Spain through a series of International Training Workshops. She was appointed as the External Expert to the Government in Values and Character Education for the Sate of New Jersey, USA 1985-86. The 1990 BBC documentary "Socrates for Six year olds" featured Dr. McCall's Community of Philosophical Inquiry [CoPI] work with young children in the USA. In 1990 Dr. McCall created M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Philosophical Inquiry at Glasgow University. In 2005 Dr. McCall presented the CoPI method to the Scottish Parliament. She has been a Visiting Professor at: The Sorbonne; The Technical University of Barcelona; The University of South Carolina, USA; The Polish Academy of Sciences; Malta University; The Continuing Education University of Iceland; The University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Through EPIC, Dr. McCall has been a Philosophy Consultant for: IBM; Scottish Business in the Community; The Transmissions Gallery; Corton Vale Prison; Grampian Health Care Trust; Scottish Enterprise; The Lighthouse; VEFO (Belgium), The Glasgow Academy, East Renfrewshire Council. Dr. McCall is currently working internationally with EPIC International Consultants.