Customer Reviews

The Children's Book of Heroes

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

William J. Bennett and Michael Hague, having teamed together to produce the national bestseller "The Children's Book of Virtues," now offer up "The Children's Book of Heroes," which celebrates heroic deeds, both historical and fictional, as appropriate inspiration for children. Certainly it is interesting to see the dozen-plus heroes, from Christopher Columbus and Jackie Robinson to the legendary Sir Roland to a young girl named Tashira, who are presented in this volume.

People might be surprised as to how few religious and political figures are included in this volume given that Bennett is the editor. For the former there are just the Biblical story of "David and Goliath," the story of "Father Flanagan" of Boys Town, and "Mother Teresa" as the epitome of the modern-day heroine. The only political figures, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, appear in episodes well before they each became president with "A Prayer at Valley Forge" and "Honest Abe" respectively. However, one of the better aspects of this book is that some of the stories and poems are not about famous people but rather about a mother ("About Angels"), dads ("Only a Dad"), and even how kids can be heroes by putting themselves on the line for someone they love ("The Hero of Indian Cliffs") and showing moral courage in order to avoiding temptation ("Our Heroes").

Because of my academic interest in mythology I was especially interest in the two classical myths that were selected. The story of Theseus and "The Minotaur" is given as an example of doing the right thing even when afraid of danger while the story of Oedipus and "The Sphinx" is used to remind us that heroes use their brains. This is certainly an interesting pair given what happens to each hero after their defeat these monsters: Theseus and Ariadne never make it back together to Athens and as for Oedipus, well, you probably know what happened to him once he became king of Thebes.

"The Children's Book of Heroes" does indeed present a diverse collection of role models, which at the very least, should expand a child's notion of what constitutes a hero. Each story begins with a brief comment on what the particular life lesson is from that story, for example Jackie Robinson represents "keeping your cool and doing the best you can in a bad situation," which arguably present values that transcend the ideological spectrum.

Bennett has edited another fine book that introduces young children to values and charactor while making reading interesting.

This book of heros combines mythical and historical figures with everyday folk (moms and dads) whose actions and charactor speak to the better values that should be taught to children. The book is fairly accessible to ages 4 and 5 -- the gist of the story will usually be understood and there are enough new concepts / words to prompt meaningful discussion. The illustrations are rich and invite children into the story by providing an attractive visual introduction to each vignette.

Bennett continues to provide a great service to parents and children with the series of which the Book of Heros is a part.

I used this book as a read aloud in my second grade classroom and the children begged me to get it out each day. There was a great variety of genre and the stories inspired the students to aim for courage, duty, honesty and loyalty. Each classic tale was exciting and held the children's interest while providing a hero who truly was a positive example. The realistic, colorful illustrations were outstanding.

I actually purchased "The Children's Book of Heroes" to give as a gift, but decided to go ahead & read it before passing it on - and I have to say that I'm really glad I did! This is a beautifully written & illustrated book that includes various poems & short stories about many different kinds of heroes - from knights to mother's & everything in between.

Overall, I would highly recommend "The Children's Book of Heroes" to all parents & children. It serves as a wonderful reminder of the importance of keeping your word, helping other's, being brave, and much, much more.

Bennett's compilation offers a nice mix of the very familiar (to older listeners) and the new. As a panorama of the many faces of heroism, the anthology works well dealing with duty, physical bravery, inspiration and integrity.

There were instances where the audio quality of the presentation tended to be a bit uneven, especially the difference between the volume of the musical breaks and the performers' readings.

Mr. Bennett's introduction, targeting the youngest readers, seemed redundant for older readers. The delivery by the female performers lacked some of the strength and vibrancy of the male performers.

Even though excellently performed by Mr. Scott, "A Prayer at Valley Forge" was by far the weakest of the stories. Strongest among the stories were "Knights of the Silver Shield", "The Minotaur" and "David and Goliath".

Despite some minor problems, the collection offers a good variety of stories that touch on the same moral lesson. Children should find it entertaining and instructional, while adults can enjoy the storytelling skills of fine performers retelling well-remembered tales.

Has the old with the new, learned along with my children, great book

This beautiful book contains 18 stories that are 4 pages long on average. The pages are not stuffed full of words, but contain 1/2 words & some beautiful colorful illustrations. The stories include well known heroes lik Dad, Jackie Robinson, David & Goliath, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Theresa, Helen Keller, Hero of Indian Cliff, and more. These stories can be enjoyed as a family read aloud as early as 4-5 years. Children could read on their own by 3rd grade. What a lovely addition to our library!

I ordered this book for my son and he loves the stories in it. Very fast service, good quality, very affordable. Happy with the purchase!

My 5 year old really likes this book, he pours over the pictures and listens to the text. I just wish it was a smaller sized book -- it is hard for him to hold to look at alone. I also wish it was longer.

The stories were good, but the pictures frightened my 5 year olds. Stories of mythology and fantasy-like pictures on some pages. For example, one picture of a very real-looking lion with woman's head and eagle's claws, if I remember correctly.