Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book [Hardcover]

Anita Silvey (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1596433957 | ISBN-13: 978-1596433953 | Publication Date: October 13, 2009 | Edition: First Edition

"What children's book changed the way you see the world?"

 

Anita Silvey asked this question to more than one hundred of our most respected and admired leaders in society, and she learned about the books that shaped financiers, actors, singers, athletes, activists, artists, comic book creators, novelists, illustrators, teachers...

 

The lessons they recall are inspiring, instructive, and illuminating. And the books they remember resonate as influential reading choices for families. EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM A CHILDREN'S BOOK--with its full color excerpts of beloved children's books, is a treasury and a guide: a collection of fascinating essays and THE gift book of the year for families.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Over 100 noteworthy figures, from Ursula K. Le Guin to Jay Leno, convey lessons learned from specific children's books in this affirming collaboration, which is divided into six thematic sections and features full-color images. For each selection, a contributor provides a brief essay about how the book influenced him or her, accompanied by an excerpt. The divergent articulations on the impact of such stories as The Secret Garden (What was the gift of this magical book? muses Katherine Paterson. Then I realize that it was wonder) and Little House in the Big Woods ([T]he romance of the family's wanderlust and their almost unflagging good spirits... shone from the pages, writes Emily Bazelon of Slate.com) create a moving patchwork message about the transformative powers of reading. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

In this tribute to the lasting impact of children's books on individuals, 110 personalities respond to the implied question, What important message did you internalize from reading this book? Some of the contributors are quite famous; others are less so, and they come from the arts, sciences, politics, business, medicine, journalism, and sports, as well as authors and illustrators of children's books. Among the books are numerous classics, some not originally intended for children, as well as picture books, juvenile and young adult fiction, and nonfiction. The attractive format features a long quote from the book, usually with an accompanying illustration, on the verso; while the recto is divided into two columns, one with the personal essay and the other with Silvey's historical commentary on the book featured, along with a full-color cover illustration. Back matter includes a brief paragraph on each contributor. The essays vary widely in length, and some acknowledge that a treasured children's book was not discovered until adulthood. This attractive volume will be appreciated by lovers of literature for all ages despite the unfortunate choice of a painfully small typeface for Silvey's informative entries.–Marie Orlando, North Shore Public Library, Shoreham, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; First Edition edition (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596433957
• ISBN-13: 978-1596433953
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #597,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book, November 2, 2009

By 

Shelley Sommer "sommerreading.com" (Boston) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book (Hardcover)

I found a new book to "dip into" when I have a few minutes or need something inspirational to read - Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book by Anita Silvey. I guess on some level, this could be said for the majority of people in the world. Most of us learned to read from children's books, and that was the starting point for everything else we have learned. But...that is not the point of Silvey's terrific book. It's a 230 page collection of small essays by people from across the professional spectrum about how they were inspired by a favorite children's book. The emphasis is on how the book continues to resonate in their lives today. It's interesting to see what people chose to write about. So far, my two favorite essays are Gregory Maguire's on The Diamond in the Window by Jane Langton and Sherman Alexie's comments on The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

My only complaint is that I wish there was one line at the bottom of each essay identifying the writer. I knew most of them, and of course, they are all identified in the back, but just flipping through and stopping to see that Stan Lee was inspired by the Poppy Ott books was tricky. With all respect to Mr. Lee, I did not know who he was. I do now. He is associated with Marvel Comics. But I had to flip to the back of the book to find that out. I wish there had been a quick identification under his name so I didn't have to keep flipping back and forth. No problem though. It doesn't take away from this wonderful book.

I was especially excited to see that I share a favorite book with two distinguished people. Before looking at Silvey's book, I thought about what book I would choose. That took 2 seconds: Charlotte's Web. And it turns out that both Louis Sachar and Eric Rohmann felt the same way!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting to read, December 17, 2009

By 

Kirsten G. Cutler (Santa Rosa, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book (Hardcover)

This book is a compilation of interesting comments from famous people about the impact of a specific children's book on their development. Each 2-3 page section includes an excerpt from the children's book, a brief biography of the author, and then the commentary by the famous person regarding their appreciation for the book. Addendum material includes: brief biographies of the famous people, a selected list of books by contributors, a booklist of recommended books categorized by subject, and indexes for contributors and the book excerpts. I wish the presentation had been a little more appealing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I learned from a children's book, January 7, 2010

By 

M. Stewart "Books,books, books" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book (Hardcover)

The adults in my family loved seeing old favorites and being reminded of the good times we had sharing them. We found many books new to us to share with our beloved little ones.
This book works on many levels. Seeing what others gained from favorite books makes you think more about what you gained. This adds depth and thought to the sheer fun.