Judge Judy Sheindlin's Win or Lose by How You Choose (Hardcover)

by Judge Judy Sheindlin (Author), Bob Tore (Illustrator) "You just got your ice cream from the ice-cream man, but he was so busy that he forgot to take your money..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In her courtroom show, popular TV personality Judge Judy Sheindlin always tells it like it is. But in her first book for young readers, she asks children and their parents to come up with their own solutions to realistic moral dilemmas: "You find a handgun in your father's closet." "You were visiting your friend and your dog had an accident on the floor in his living room." "You notice that the desk next to you, where your good friend sits, has been empty for three days."

Rather than forcing the "correct" answer on readers, Judge Judy provides four multiple choice responses to each situation and encourages families to discuss every answer before choosing. For example, Judge Judy hypothesizes, "You are home alone and someone knocks on the door." Should you (a)not answer the door, (b)ask who it is and open the door only of you know him or her, (c)tell the person to come back when an adult is home, or (d)open the door? Two brief introductions, one to parents and one to kids, provide readers with an approach to moral education, emphasizing ongoing communication. When young people consider and discuss the consequences of their actions, they're far more likely to make socially responsible decisions in life.

Judge Judy Sheindlin has written several bestselling books for adults, including Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever. Illustrator Bob Tore's simple but amusing black and white line drawings are friendly and inviting, keeping the tone light and straightforward. (Ages 7 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
The star of her own TV courtroom on the syndicated program Judge Judy, Sheindlin here pens her first book for children. Brief author's notes for parents and for kids introduce 36 open-ended multiple-choice questions designed to encourage discussion between a parent and child concerning decision-making and discerning right from wrong. Each question supposes a protagonist in a sticky situation ("All your friends are smoking. They are making fun of you because you are not. You should "; "You are home alone and someone knocks on the door. You should "). A list of four possible plans of action follow each scenario. The choices introduce several gray areas, and in some cases more than one answer could be right--it would be up to the parent to discuss with the child which route they would prefer their son or daughter to take. For instance, the knock-on-the-door example offers both "A. Not answer the door" and "B. Ask who it is and open the door only if you know him or her"--the "correct" answer would depend on how the parent has instructed the child to act. Sheindlin, uncharacteristically, refrains from handing down her decision here, or describing what goes into the decision-making process. Her assortment of situations demonstrates a familiarity with her audience and the issues they face, but the volume is designed to work best when an adult reads it with the child. Chipper cartoon line art by Tore gives these proceedings a fun look, which may help kids see the book as more than a good-for-them exercise. Ages 7-12. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Printing edition (February 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060287802
• ISBN-13: 978-0060287801
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #538,215 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for family discussions, March 2, 2000

By A Customer

Our family (2 adults and 2 kids under 8 years old) enjoyed the discussions prompted by this book. The content is geared to children at the lower end of the recommended 7- to 12-year-old range, but covers universal qualities such as honesty, courage, compassion. The illustrations add significantly to the humor of many of the situations presented. I would recommend the book highly to parents who wish to spend time with their children exploring the issues; the book would be of limited value to a child reading alone. Please write another one, Ms. Sheindlin and Mr. Tore!

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Margie, February 26, 2000

By	Margie Etter-Bailey (Kingman, AZ) - See all my reviews

I am an avid fan of Judge Judy and her no nonsense approach and common sense make a lot of sense to me. I ordered this book for our 10 year old and while it is a good book with a good concept it would better be served to children in the 7-9 age brackett. The questions are good and the concept of giving the children a choice is great for family discussion as it was intended, but some of the situations posed are geared much more to the younger child. I would like to see her do a another geared more toward the older child, and perhaps even more serious family issues especially dealing with dual families, and the tough situations these family situations place children in. ie; You visit your Dad and think Dad is really cool because he lets you watch R-rated movies, dosen't make you bathe or go to bed, you can just fall asleep wherever you are. Mom on the other hand won't let you do these things. Dad suggests you should live with him, so do you begin bugging Mom to let you do this because you think it would be more fun to live with Dad? This of course could be just the opposite and Mom could be the one with the less structured lifestyle. This is just an example of the tougher situations our kids face. Overall it is a good book but best suited to a younger audience. I thought it was a bit pricey and could have been longer.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Social situations for kids to think about and what to do ..., May 26, 2000

By A Customer

We sat at our dinner table, my husband and myself with our twin 8 year olds. Together we read and the twins answered the questions. There are social situations and the reader is asked what to do by answering multiple choice questions. Some of the possible answers will have you laughing out loud. Our children enjoyed this book and we enjoyed making a fun time of it. With the text you will find some fun drawings. Parents and children are sure to enjoy this book. We were pleased to see that both our son and our daughter made the best choices. As parents, this book gave us insight into our childrens character and their hearts.