An inviting guide for children (and their parents) to cultivating happiness and helping others.
An illustrated manual focuses on seizing happiness.
McCloud and illustrator Weber reissue on its 10th anniversary the sequel to their 2006 book, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? The work lays out three rules for readers—children as well as adults—to find happiness in their lives. All three revolve around the author’s concept of people having buckets they can either fill for themselves or others. Rule 1: Be a bucket filler. “Every time you say or do something caring or thoughtful, you add good thoughts and feelings to someone’s bucket,” McCloud writes, adding a crucial detail: “This makes your bucket fuller.” Rule 2 stems directly from this: Don’t dip into buckets, your own or others, because “while bucket filling adds good stuff to buckets, bucket dipping takes the good stuff out.” And Rule 3 is a bit counterintuitive: Use the “lid” on your bucket, because “if you haven’t learned how to stop others from dipping into your bucket, how will your bucket ever stay filled?” In all cases, the author elaborates on the rule in question, giving dozens of variations and examples of how it applies in everyday life. Opportunities to fill buckets abound. As McCloud points out, every instance of simple kindness helps to fill buckets. And likewise, dipping into buckets can be common: Are you complaining? Are you selfish? The author’s valuable reminder throughout this section is that engaging in these kinds of dipping behaviors depletes your own bucket—and ultimately diminishes your happiness. The section on the third rule—being aware of the lid on your bucket—is the book’s most intriguing and nuanced part, assuring readers that using their lids isn’t an act of selfishness but quite the opposite. The manual, featuring Weber’s colorful images, will be illuminating to children trying to figure out their responsibilities to others—and will clarify the thinking of adults as well.
An inviting guide for children (and their parents) to cultivating happiness and helping others.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9960999-9-8
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Bucket Fillosophy
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Occasionally clever—fifth-grade boys will love it.
“There is a lot of nonsense written about the human body,” writes the author, “and this book is no exception.”
Though not quite making good on his promise of “100 percent fact-free chapters,” (he does accurately describe “chondrolaryngoplasty”) Griffiths’ anatomical tour in general steers clear of anything that would be marked as correct on a test. From “Ears can be big or small, depending on their size” to “Capillaries are the larval form of butterflies,” he offers pithy inanities about 68 mostly real body features. Though he closes every entry with “That is all you need to know about…,” he then goes on to regale readers with the news that the epiglottis was named after a Greek philosopher and other “Fun Body Facts.” Similarly, noting that his illustrations “may not be scientifically accurate” (the understatement of the decade), Denton nonetheless provides on nearly every spread profusely labeled, free-association cartoon views of each body part. These are filled out with tiny figures, mechanical apparatus and miscellaneous junk. Though serious young researchers may be disappointed to find the “Private Parts” pages blacked out, a full index follows to provide ready access to any references to poo, pus, farts, drool, “sneeze-powered missiles” and like essentials.
Occasionally clever—fifth-grade boys will love it. (Humor. 10-12)Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-312-36790-9
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Adults may have to force-feed this purposive book to those not yet committed to the important causes outlined here.
"Organic," "sustainable" and "food miles" all appear in the comprehensive glossary of this book, whose simple title and cover photograph imply a basic approach to the international topic of food.
This very political book, biased toward food equity, explains why certain foods are eaten in certain countries and why school lunches are important. They fill various needs, from the teaching of courtesy and table manners in France and Japan to the supply of basic nutrients for Somali children in refugee-camp schools. Efforts to improve children’s eating habits, curb obesity, encourage use of local crops and provide food to students with limited economic resources are discussed. As the book is from Canada, naturally there are some references to that country in many of the comparisons. Though published in a seemingly picture-book format, the text is complex. Most two-page spreads describe school lunchtime in an individual country, with a cartoonish illustration on the left and a large photograph of a typical meal on the right with numbered arrows pointing to particular elements. Lengthy captions are keyed to each number. Small globe images in each spread point out countries, but larger maps and a bibliography would be useful. “The Message to Parents, Teachers and Students” provides project ideas.
Adults may have to force-feed this purposive book to those not yet committed to the important causes outlined here. (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-88995-482-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Red Deer Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2012
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