Rating: 
Summary: Apparently unfamiliar with current children's books
Review: Apparently William Bennett is unfamiliar with the myriad wonderful books for children written in the last thirty years. The only exception are "famous" people writing now like Barbara Bush. Why not draw on the terrific current literature? My guess is because Bennett would have to pay for that, whereas the older work is in the public domain. What a lost opportunity to speak to kids in terms they can better relate to and to introduce parents to some fine contemporary writers. Of course, this book is actually pitched to parents, not kids, so I doubt appealing to kids is actually his real aim.
Rating:
Summary: Apparently unfamiliar with current children's books
Review: Apparently William Bennett is unfamiliar with the myriad wonderful books for children written in the last thirty years. The only exception are "famous" people writing now like Barbara Bush. Why not draw on the terrific current literature? My guess is because Bennett would have to pay for that, whereas the older work is in the public domain. What a lost opportunity to speak to kids in terms they can better relate to and to introduce parents to some fine contemporary writers. Of course, this book is actually pitched to parents, not kids, so I doubt appealing to kids is actually his real aim.
Rating: 
Summary: the Satanic Bible
Review: First, let me say that the illustrations are very nice. Why such a talented illustrator would attach their talent to a talentless gambler writing a book on virtues must presuppose a virtue beyond any other; or maybe it's idiocy or money! The only thing more inexplicable than Bennett thinking he is qualified to write such a book is that parents have actually wasted money on it. As I read through these pages, I became horrified at the possibility of children attempting to learn anything from such a hypocrite (gambling addict). Bennett comes across as the megalomaniac he is: pompous, didactic and arrogant. It requires great effort to view this work as anything but a joke book! It is condescending, patronizing and "high almighty" in its approach and execution.
The persona he puts forth of being "squeaky clean" belies the atrocities he has personally committed. If there is any further proof of the reality of the Right's image of the great deceiver, Satan, then it is personified in an author and a work like this. He encapsulates deception better than anyone.
These pages are ultimately worthless unless you are trying to teach your children about a man without virtues being hypocritical. How ironic.
Rating: 
Summary: I AM BIASED ALSO
Review: I had purchased the book "The Educated Child" by Bennett for my
son and daughter-in-law shortly after my granddaughter was born.
They have been using it and I assume they like it. I work in a bookstore in the children's department and I had been eyeing this "Book of Virtues" for some time. Not only do I think that such a book is important but Hague also happens to be one of my favorite illustrators. So on breaks at work I would read it. It is not all that I had hoped it would be, but it is good.
However, Bennett's bias politically drives me nuts which has made
me biased against purchasing this book. Added to that, his
decision to not only preach against sin but to name the names of
the sinners (in another venue) makes him something less than an
effective moralist and something more like just another loud-mouthed commentator on tv. And then to put the nail in the coffin, there is the recent revelation of his own particular downfall (gambling). Talk about people who live in glass houses!! None of my own biases against this man has to do with the intrinsic value or lack thereof of the book. But, I have decided that I would find someone more personally worthy of informing me and my grandchild about virtues.
Rating:
Summary: I AM BIASED ALSO
Review: I had purchased the book "The Educated Child" by Bennett for my
son and daughter-in-law shortly after my granddaughter was born.
They have been using it and I assume they like it. I work in a bookstore in the children's department and I had been eyeing this "Book of Virtues" for some time. Not only do I think that such a book is important but Hague also happens to be one of my favorite illustrators. So on breaks at work I would read it. It is not all that I had hoped it would be, but it is good.
However, Bennett's bias politically drives me nuts which has made
me biased against purchasing this book. Added to that, his
decision to not only preach against sin but to name the names of
the sinners (in another venue) makes him something less than an
effective moralist and something more like just another loud-mouthed commentator on tv. And then to put the nail in the coffin, there is the recent revelation of his own particular downfall (gambling). Talk about people who live in glass houses!! None of my own biases against this man has to do with the intrinsic value or lack thereof of the book. But, I have decided that I would find someone more personally worthy of informing me and my grandchild about virtues.
Rating: 
Summary: Much to recommend, but also disappoint
Review: If you are looking for a book that will instill "values" in your child while s/he reads, this is just the ticket--my only hesitation is that some of the values being instilled are somewhat out-of-date, so read the book carefully. Edited by William J. Bennett (yes, that William J. Bennett--I know, I was surprised too!), the book is divided into sections, e.g., "Courage/Perseverance," "Responsibility/Work/Self-Discipline," and so on. Each section contains several tales that illustrate its titular virtues. Now the problem is this: under the section "Responsibility...," he uses the poem "There Was a Little Girl"-you know, the one with the curl. The little girl raises a huge ruckus in her bedroom which her mother assumes is being made by her brothers "A-playing at combat in the attic"; but discovering that the miscreant was her daughter, "she did scold her most emphatic." Bennett writes a brief note at the beginning of each entry, and the entry he wrote for this one is: "In this poem, we see what happens to us sometimes when we do not behave!" Come on, for Pete's sake! The real lesson in this poem is that little girls must remain quiet, acquiescent and obedient while little boys can tear up the attic all they want, because that's what little boys do! Sorry Bill, but I don't buy it, and I don't think many parents will either. But there is much in this book to recommend it, particularly the 19th century retro illustrations which Michael Hague has contributed. And it really is an excellent compendium of favorite anecdotes, poems and tales, sort of a Norton's Anthology for the nursery set. Just keep a watchful eye on the content of a few of the selections.
Rating: 
Summary: wonderful book of virtues, beautifully illustrated
Review: My daughter (6 yo) loves this book, and I do too. The stories are entertaining and engaging, and the illustrations are wonderful.
The book hearkens back to good old-fashioned values and morals, and is completely unashamed in doing so. Mr. Bennett writes in the foreword that the process of intentionally instructing the young in virtues was done without embarrassment in our recent past. I enjoyed the frankness of the approach in this book. Each selection is headed by a summary of the lesson contained in it.
This collection includes poems, fables from Aesop, adaptations of fairy tales, and other stories from cultures around the world in order to illustrate certain virtues, such as responsibility, kindness, honesty, and good manners. The selections are of a good length to sustain the interest of a young(4 - 8 yo) child. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to inculcate good values.
Rating:
Summary: No matter the language your kids speak, this is a great book
Review: My kids and I have read the Spanish version (equally wonderfully illustrated) of the "Libro de las Virtudes para los Niños"... Both the content and the translation are excellent... This book is a necessary tool for parents to instill great sense of values, responsibility, and citizenship, no matter where you come from.
Alberto J. Palombo
West Palm Beach, Florida
Rating:
Summary: It is great for kids!
Review: My name is David. I am eight years old. I am reading The Children's Book of Virtues, edited by William J. Bennett. My favorite story so far is "The Honest Woodman." It is about a poor woodcutter who looses his old axe in a river. A water fairy brought up a silver axe and a gold axe. The woodcutter said that they were not his. When she brought up his steel axe, he said it was his. The water fairy gave him all the axes for telling the truth. Telling the truth is very important.
Rating:
Summary: Good earth produces good crops!
Review: The seeds of moral character are sowed into the soul of the listener. The reader and the listener are both captured into the realm of the tales that they design to fascinate and ultimately teach about the human spirit. They give children a foundation on which to base their attitudes. They give the adults a platform, on which, to reevaluate and reconsider the examples they may be setting to their young. The book is fascinating and intriguing, from the fantasy of giants to the
wit of wisdom, or should it be the wisdom of wit
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