The Children's Book of Home and Family [Hardcover]

William J. Bennett (Editor), Michael Hague (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: K and up

A wonderful treasury of stories, poems, biographies, and more. From the inspirational biographies of Teddy Roosevelt and Jane Addams to heartwarming stories such as “Ruth and Naomi” that will captivate young listeners, this beautifully illustrated hardcover is destined to become a classic. A must-have for every family!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Conservative social critic and former Bush "drug czar" William J. Bennett collects here over 30 secular fables, prayers, Bible stories, and poems, all devoted to a central theme: "reinforcing the vital lessons all parents must teach" about home and family life.

Some of the entries address intersibling relations (like "The Hill," adapted from Laura Richards, and Aesop's classic "The Bundle of Sticks"), while others focus on the love of husbands and wives for their children ("What Bradley Owed," adapted from Hugh T. Kerr) and for one another ("The Water of Youth," adapted from Rudolph Baumbach). Poems and prayers from Alfred, Lord Tennyson ("What Does Little Birdie Say?") and Robert Louis Stevenson ("Prayer for Home and Family") help class up the book, complementing Michael Hague's '50s-style, quasi-Rockwellian illustrations.

While many of the lessons imparted here are inarguably "vital," parents should beware that the book still carries some not-so-subtle political freight, which you might or might not buy into: As Bennett makes clear in his grownup books (The Broken Hearth: Reversing the Moral Collapse of the American Family, etc.), references to "husband and wife" mean that and only that. Likewise, don't be surprised by antiquated takes on gender roles (as in "The Husband Who Was to Mind the House") and that the only black characters in the book have tribal names like Keen-Eyes, Sharp-Ears, and Strong-Arms. (The sole Hispanic family lucks out with some good Catholic names, but Hague's proto-Israelites in a King Solomon story still look pretty conventionally European.) (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly

William Bennett (The Book of Virtues) brings together stories, poems, biographies and more in The Children's Book of Home and Family, illus. by Michael Hague. Among the offerings: "The Legend of the Hummingbird" a South American story about the value of hard work as well as a brief biography of Hull House founder Jane Addams, who created an oasis for poverty-stricken children. All ages.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers (October 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385746245
• ISBN-13: 978-0385746243
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,260,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The nurturing qualities of home and family., December 15, 2002

By 

Lydia Reilly (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Children's Book of Home and Family (Hardcover)

I've recommended this book to family and friends. It's filled with delightful stories, poems and quotations that celebrate the love of husband and wife, parents, grandparents and children. It contains some of the best from Robert Louis Stevenson, Louisa May Alcott, Lord Tennyson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the Old and New Testament. (A few illustrations merit 4 stars instead of 5.)

4 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A very disappointing book., November 7, 2002

By 

JIM LARKIN (Adelaide, South Australia Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Children's Book of Home and Family (Hardcover)

A very disappointing book. Poorly presented. Uninteresting. Badly written. Morally unedifying. This is how my 10 year old summed up his present (this book) after a day long read. After perusing it myself I must agree. Buy Dr.Seuss's The Lorax instead. Do not buy unless as a gift for a child you do not like.