If the central task of education is teaching virtue, as William J. Bennett suggests, then he has written an ideal textbook. The Book of Virtues is a collection of fables, poems, essays and narratives that elucidate the virtues as Bennett sees them. Self-discipline, friendship, compassion, courage, perseverance, honesty, loyalty and faith are covered in this anthology, which draws upon almost 30 centuries of writing, from Bible stories and biographical portraits to Native Americans tales and folk spirituals.
In his introduction, Bennett writes that the book is intended "to aid in the lime-honored task of the moral education of the young," a task that the author, who served as education secretary under President Reagan and director of drug control policy under President Bush, assumes with pedagogical rigor. The results, while at times inspirational, are also strangely old-fashioned due to the conservative ideology that connects the selections.
To exemplify loyalty, for example, Bennett includes stories of Judas and Peter, Paul Revere, Knute Rockne, and lyrics to "America the Beautiful." Occasionally he strikes a more subtle tone, as in the Friendship chapter, where he has included the Velveteen Rabbit, a story of Robin Hood and Little John, and words of Emerson and Pablo Neruda. His juxtapositions are particularly striking. Aesop's fables, Jack and the Beanstalk and P.T. Barnum take their place beside Plato, Aristotle and Thucydides.
While The Book of Virtues draws its strength from the individual writings, it is also guided by Bennett's unequivocal opinion of what is right and wrong, which at times comes across as self-serving and presumptuous. In an introduction to one chapter, he writes that we can learn "to order our souls the same way we learn to do math problems or play baseball well—through practice."
History, however, has shown that souls defy ordering, and society in its various inequities can stymie individual resolve. In the end The Book of Virtues becomes less an education in virtue than an attempt to inspire good deeds. Fortunately, in this task Bennett is not alone. If The Book of Virtues succeeds, it is because of the company he has chosen to keep.(Simon & Schuster $27.50)
Following is a grab bag of the year's most enchanting, entertaining, colorful volumes for a child's bookshelf, chosen by PEOPLE editors Susan Toepfer and Elizabeth Sporkin.
by William Joyce
Christmas 1908: A boy is summoned from a Wild West show for a Toyland adventure that sweetly concludes with a sibling reconciliation. (HarperCollins, $18) All ages
by Gillian McClure
A tender and soothing story of the donkey that carried Mary on her arduous ride to Bethlehem. (Farrar, Straus, $15) Ages 4-8
by Jan Brett
The Christmas decorations are disappearing. So are the gifts and treats. Find the culprit in Brett's marvelously detailed border. (Putnam, $15.95) Ages 4-8
by Nina Jaffe, illus. by Elivia
These folkloric fables—the Hanukkah story "Hannah the Joyful" is about a king who tries unsuccessfully to trick a poor woman into losing her faith—combine holiday customs and virtuous messages. (Scholastic, $15.95) Ages 8-12
by Gary Soto, illus. by Ed Martinez
Maria accidentally drops her mother's diamond ring in the tamale masa on Christmas Eve and enlists the help of her three cousins to eat 24 tamales in a heartwarming attempt to find it. (Putnam, $14.95) Ages 4-8
by Howard Tomb and Dennis Kunkel
A close-up of a cat's tongue, a detailed look at butterfly wings—and a horrifying survey of the tiny creatures who live in your home. (Farrar, Straus, $16) Ages 8 and up
by Jonathan London, illus. by Wayne McLoughlin
A uniquely sensual river journey, as experienced by its animal inhabitants—and a lone man. (Crown, $15) All ages
by Judy Allen, illus. by Alan Baron
Like other titles in the appealing new "Read and Wonder Series this picture book makes sciences appetizing by sugarcoating it with verse, though balloons and busy illustrations. (candlewick, $ 14.95) Ages 4 and up
by Liz Rosenberg, MILS, by Stephen Gammell
Richly colored drawings set the tempestuous mood for this story of a boy and his frightening but fiercely protective mother. Perhaps the most original children's book this year. (Philomel, $14.95) Ages 4 and up
by Bob Carrau
A truly hilarious compendium of the filmmaker's creatures. While the pictures are up close and gross, the text features such treats as an alien 12-step program and excerpts from a monster's diary: "Wake up. Throw up. File tail." (Abrams, $19.95) All ages
by Linda Martin
The affable dinos in this adorable rhyming story have perfect manners; they always brush their teeth, use their napkins and help with the dishes. (Chronicle, $11.95) Ages 2-6
by Robert D. Sans Souci, illus. by Brian Pinkney
Larger-than-life heroines in this delightful collection include Sweet Betsey Pike, "who crossed the big mountain with her husband, Ike." (Philomel, $16.95) Ages 8 and up
by Virginia Hamilton, illus. by Leo and Diane Dillon
Hamilton, known for her lyrical anthologies, applies her touch to such heroes as Henry Box Brown, the slave who escaped by mailing himself north in a crate. (Knopf, $16) Ages 9-14
compiled by Amy L. Cohn
A classic collection, from Native American and Pilgrims' stories to tales of patriots, tricksters and goblins. (Scholastic, $29.95) All ages
by Nancy Willard, illus. by Leo and Diane Dillon
In this lovely incarnation of the tale first told by Goethe and later popularized by Disney, a young female sorcerer is asked to make new clothes for the creatures in the sorcerer's care. (Blue Sky, $15.95) All ages
by Ethel Pochocki, illus. by Barry Moser
Moser's eerie and enchanting illustrations evoke the world of this gentle man who "spent his days in the dark" until he found a friend. (Simon & Schuster, $15) All ages
by Jean Van Leeuwen, illus. by Juan Wijngaard
Emma Bean, a stuffed bunny, watches her owner, Molly, grow up in a sentimental story about the fleetingness of childhood. (Dial, $13.99) Ages 4-8
by Laura Numeroff, illus. by Joe Mathieu
Sheep don't take showers and goats never shave and you won't find a bathtub inside a bear's cave.... " The latest catchy nonsense rhyme from the author of the classic If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. (Simon & Schuster, $14) Ages 3-6
by Fred Gwynne
The resemblance between pets and their owners is the theme of this clever story, told in verse, by the late actor, who sends a little girl off to a dog show with a shaggy pet who happens to be a ringer for the judge. (Simon & Schuster, $14) Ages 4-7
by Chris Babcock, illus. by Mark Teague
Irresistible illustrations and a spirited story of an obstinate cow who insists on walking on the moon. (Crown, $12) Ages 4-7
by Jamie Lee Curtis, illus. by Laura Cornell
In her first book, the actress strikes a chord with the newly toilet-trained set by comparing the babyish ("When I was little, I ale goo") with the grown-up ("Now I eat pizza"). (HarperCollins, $14) Ages 4-8
illus. by Eric Carle
The memorable kiddie song ("...Wednesday zoooop, Tuesday spaghetti, Monday string beans...") gets the nifty Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) collage treatment. (Philomel, $14.95) Ages 3-7
selected by Michael Rosen, illus. by Bob Graham
"Spaghetti! Spaghetti! you're wonderful stuff/ I love you, spaghetti, I can't gel enough..." exemplifies this endearingly daffy selection of sound bites. (Kingfisher, $15.95) Ages 4-8
>William Bennett
READ ME A STORY, PLEASE
"I DIDN'T COMPILE THIS BOOK BECAUSE I wanted to do something aside from my usual work," says former drug czar William Bennett, 50, who now makes his living writing, editing and speaking. "This is the work. To teach right and wrong to our children is a fundamental imperative." Bennett launched his ambitious project in 1988 with his own list of 150 stories, which, with help from Library of Congress researcher John Crib, grew like Jack's beanstalk.
"When I wasn't sure of a story, I'd read it to my sons [John, 9 and Joseph, 4]," says Bennett, whose own mother, a divorced secretary, kindled his boyhood imagination with Greek myths and poetry. "There was a story about a little person called Please, who lives in a young boy's mouth but doesn't get much exercise because he's not let out often. I wondered if it was too cute, but my 4-year-old insisted.
"A lot of what I see on television is pointless conflict and a lot of noise," he says. "These stories believe that kids have souls, hearts and minds." So can parents really tear their tots away from Beavis for the Brothers Grimm? Absolutely, says Bennett: "Often children aren't sitting in front of TV by choice. They're there because no one has asked them to be in their lap."
- Contributors:
- Thomas Curwen,
- Susan Toepfer,
- Elizabeth Sporkin,
- Kristin McMurran.
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