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Hoaxes by Judith Herbst (Lerner Publications, 2004)

Ages 9 and up

If you're busy raising little skeptics, this book will be of interest. The 48 pages tell stories of five classic hoaxes, including the photographs of fairies and gnomes from 1917, and the fake rain forest tribe that got themselves into National Geographic.

Richly illustrated with photos of the hoaxes, the stories provide insights into the motivations of the perpetrators and the methods they used. This book is a good way to help kids improve their media literacy, helping that realize that outlandish stories, even accompanied by photographs, might not be true.

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More Media Literacy Resources

Web site: Inconspicuous consumption
Book Review: Made You Look