KINDNESS WITH CONFUCIUS

Using the teachings of Confucius, this book presents young children with ways to practice kindness.

The Big Ideas for Little Philosophers series uses the reflections of well-known philosophers as a guide to encourage more thoughtful and positive attitudes in young children. It sounds like an overly ambitious and perhaps not age-appropriate vehicle, and yet the authors have managed to distill these teachings on kindness in a simple and accessible manner for child readers. This entry begins by introducing young readers to Confucius and the Confucian virtue of “ren” which denotes humaneness. Children are encouraged to use their own feelings as a guide to “help others feel the way we like to feel.” Delightfully, some questions invite reflection without providing pat answers—such as, “If someone leaves you out of a game, how does that make you feel?” and “How can you be helpful today?” We read that all people deserve kindness, and the colorful, friendly, attractive illustrations underscore this idea by depicting racially diverse people of all ages as well as differently abled children. A companion volume, Love With Plato, deals with ideas that are more abstract and, therefore, more complex, inviting children to think rather than act. We read that we can love things we can see but that “Plato said it is most important to love ideas, like GOODNESS, TRUTH, AND BEAUTY.” Text and illustrations depict examples of all three followed by a prompt that asks readers to consider what is important in their own lives.

A sweet approach to encouraging meaningful discussions.