Product Description

The perfect companion to William J. Bennett's number-one bestseller; The Book of Virtues, The Children's Book of Virtues is the ideal storybook for parents and children to enjoy together:

With selections from The Book of Virtues, from Aesop and Robert Frost to George Washington's life as well as Native American and African folklore, The Children's Book of Virtues brings together timeless stories and poems from around the world.

The stories have been chosen especially for a young audience to help parents introduce to their children the essentials of good character: Courage, Perseverance, Responsibility, Work, Self-discipline, Compassion, Faith, Honesty, Loyalty, and Friendship.

Lavishly illustrated by the well-known artist Michael Hague, these wonderful stories and the virtues they illustrate come to life on these pages.

The Children's Book of Virtues is an enduring treasury of literature and art that will help lead young minds toward what is noble and gentle and fine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12754 in Books
• Published on: 1995-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 112 pages

From Booklist
Ages 4^-8. Using portions of his best-selling adult work Book of Virtues, former secretary of education William Bennett teams up with artist Michael Hague to create a collection of stories, poems, and fables in a format more suitable for children. Noting in his introduction that his goal is to further the "moral education of the young," Bennett has chosen selections to illustrate 10 virtues, which he further divides into four groups, among them, courage/perseverance and compassion/faith. Many selections, such as the Aesop fables, are easily found elsewhere, but Bennett has also included some full-length versions of poems and tales known only vaguely today. A few selections seem badly dated or unbearably heavy-handed (for example, the story of the boy whose "please" didn't get enough fresh air so it ran away to another boy's mouth), and the apocryphal tale of George Washington and the cherry tree should have been labeled as such. Hague's plentiful artwork adds enormously to the charm of the collection. In keeping with each selection, his style ranges widely, from the comical to the lushly romantic and sweetly old-fashioned. Susan Dove Lempke

Review
Children will enjoy this book together with their parents: it requires good reading skills or parental intervention but presents a set of fine stories and colorful illustrations of virtues ranging from work and self-discipline to faith and loyalty. The old-fashioned pictures and virtues extolled will please parents seeking to instill values in the very young. -- Midwest Book Review

About the Author
William J. Bennett served as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Bush, and as Secretary of Education and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Reagan. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Williams College, a doctorate in political philosophy from the University of Texas, and a law degree from Harvard. Dr. Bennett is currently a co-director of Empower America, and the John M. Olin Distinguished Fellow in Cultural Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation. He, his wife, Elayne, and their two sons, John and Joseph, live in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Customer Reviews

It is great for kids!
My name is David. I am eight years old. I am reading The Children's Book of Virtues, edited by William J. Bennett. My favorite story so far is "The Honest Woodman." It is about a poor woodcutter who looses his old axe in a river. A water fairy brought up a silver axe and a gold axe. The woodcutter said that they were not his. When she brought up his steel axe, he said it was his. The water fairy gave him all the axes for telling the truth. Telling the truth is very important.

Great Morals, Good Stories, Well Illustrated
We're on our second read through of this book of children's morality tales.

With poems, short homilies and stories, Bill Bennett entertains young children as life's good lessons are imparted. The accompanying illustrations are visually delightful.

Some of the stories, because of word usage, appeal to a slightly older audience than my four and five year olds, but they can appreciate most of the vignettes. A good book that helps parents in childhood instruction.

Children's Book of Virtues
This is an excellent book to read to your young ones (4+) The stories are old yet the principles are ageless. The children will curl up and live these tales. I find myself truely enjoying this special time. When they get to six or seven I would strongly recommend moving to the Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett. The stories will sweep you and the children away. MY childrens favorite time is reading these stories. They actually ask for the book and seldom does anything else draw such smiles and "Thank You Daddys". Enjoy the experience.