<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A book that makes a difference
Review: "Above All Be Kind" is a wonderful book for anybody who cares deeply about the future of our children. Being a teacher myself I would like to recommend this book as a must read for teachers and parents alike. The book reminds us what is really important in life. It invites us to raise our children to become compassionate and caring people who understand and welcome their responsibility for our Earth and all living beings.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have!
Review: "Dad, can I have a toy gun." "Mom, what is pornography?" These are questions that every parent and educator dreads. Weil's fantastic new book, Above All, Be Kind, transforms these into teachable moments. This is a must-have for any parent, educator, or even babysitter!
Rating:
Summary: A must-have!
Review: "Dad, can I have a toy gun." "Mom, what is pornography?" These are questions that every parent and educator dreads. Weil's fantastic new book, Above All, Be Kind, transforms these into teachable moments. This is a must-have for any parent, educator, or even babysitter!
Rating:
Summary: A book that makes a difference
Review: "Above All Be Kind" is a wonderful book for anybody who cares deeply about the future of our children. Being a teacher myself I would like to recommend this book as a must read for teachers and parents alike. The book reminds us what is really important in life. It invites us to raise our children to become compassionate and caring people who understand and welcome their responsibility for our Earth and all living beings.
Rating:
Summary: A Broader View of Parenting
Review: Above All Be Kind caught me off guard with its parenting advice. I have read lots of parenting books and was expecting the usual info about being kind, as in, be nice to your kids. Instead, this book inspired me to see myself and my kids as citizens of the planet; making decisions based on what the world needs not just what we personally need -- a whole new way of thinking about what we as a family eat, buy, wear. I've never written a review before, but I was blown away by the message of this book: we can help shape a peaceful world by mindfully tending to the decisions we make in our daily job as parents. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Your Gift to the Future
Review: Above All, Be Kind helps parents raise and enjoy more thoughtful, caring, grounded children who can go beyond the latest fad to value what's really important in life. This book is a great gift - for yourself, for your children, for friends and family, and for the future of all species and the Earth.
Rating:
Summary: Humane Education is powerful!
Review: As an aunt and future mother living in Southern California, I was yearning to find a book like this! It made me realize that it's never too late to raise a truly kind young person and it motivated me to spend a lot more time nuturing my relationship with my niece. I found the stories to be very powerful, memorable, and helpful, especially for someone like myself who can experience financial obstacles from time to time (I have fallen into the trap of believing that living lightly on the planet is expensive). I can hardly wait to put these humane values into practice! I consider "Above All, be Kind" to be a major contribution to the parenting world and have already ordered copies for friends and relatives.
Rating:
Summary: More than just a one-time read!
Review: It's not an easy task to raise compassionate, non-materialistic, and socially conscious children in today's prevailing culture. Above All, Be Kind is a guidebook for parents trying to do just that. Author Zoe Weil is the co-founder of the International Institute for Humane Education, an organization that teaches young people about more humane ways of living and about how our daily choices impact the world for ill or good. She says living in humane ways is all about living up to the highest human qualities. Weil gives examples of situations parents will likely encounter with their children ("What do you do when your son asks for a toy gun?" "What do you do when you find pornography in your teen's room?") and how parents can handle those situations with wisdom. In segments called "Did you know?" she reveals disturbing facts about hot button social issues such as factory farming, sweatshop clothing, and child-targeted advertising. Besides documenting the facts about those issues, Weil takes the process a step further with pages called "Let Kindness Grow," which offer suggestions about what we can do to make more humane choices in relation to each issue. The most important message in the book is to parents themselves. It is the mantra "My life is my message," which Weil says she has used many times to check her own behavior. The Ghandian quote reminds parents that we cannot expect our children to walk any path that we ourselves are not willing or able to walk. To that end, Weil lays out a four-step plan she calls the "Four Elements" that can help readers come to a right action for themselves or help their children make about any choice. Essentially, the Four Elements are: Gathering information, using critical thinking skills, turning that knowledge into respect for all, and making a responsible choice. One of the last parts of the book is dedicated to personal introspection. Weil created a "My life is my message" questionnaire that readers are to work through to critically look at where we can improve our own life messages. The 13-page exercise is a humbling and valuable experience. Weil provides an appendix bursting with solid statistics, valuable reference books, and tons of resources to help parents locate more information, better products (such as a list of companies that do not use animals to test products) and websites that can help us make more humane choices for ourselves, our children, and the world. As a result, this book is not a one-time read but rather a resource to be picked up time and again. --Dana Anderson-Villamagna
Rating:
Summary: A book that tells you that parenting is about YOU
Review: Many school teachers will tell you that parents will complain to them that their children don't read at home. The teacher then always asks, 'well, how much do you read?' And the answer usually comes back, 'I don't. What does that have to do with it?' Our children do follow our models, whether we think they do or not. And to really provide a good role model requires hard, hard work, and thinking about it, every day, every second. Instead, we all have a tendency to mouth platitudes and give lectures. A great read, worth it for any parent, and really, anyone else. This goes way beyond education and raising kids.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put the book down!
Review: This book was incredibly thought-provoking and practical. Weil has an extremely positive energy that eminates through the pages of this book. Whether you possess little to great concern about the upbringing of your children, this book has something for everyone! I wanted the book to be longer because I enjoyed it so much. When is the sequel coming out?!
<< 1 >>
| 
