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Title: The Kindness of Children by Vivian Gussin Paley ISBN: 0-674-00390-X Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: October, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.44 (9 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Sweet book, poignant stories about children...
Comment: I don't know what I expected from this book. I thought it would be a series of stories about children being kind. It actually ended up as a free-flowing continuous stream-of-consciousness tale on the part of the author. It was partly on the children, and partly on the reaction of the author and other teachers towards the small kindnesses that children give to one another in diverse situations. Even though Paley tells us about the interesting story-telling learning which she instigates, the story-telling is less important to the book then the kindnesses of the children. The story-telling is the means by which the kindnesses continue, a means to acknowledge that kindness has occurred, and that children are responsible for solitary acts that can have ripple-like effects.
What I find incredibly interesting and wish that Paley had dealt with is that this behavior of small children prior to the fourth grade seems to be 'taught' out of children, by the adults in their lives. I may be wrong about this, but the national problems with bullying seem to occur right after third grade (which most educators and parents know is a major transitional point). Where is it that we are teaching our children not to be kind to others?
This book is sweet and extremely interesting. Paley brings up the possibility of an intelligence based not on intellect, but on an inner sense of being able to 'see' when another person is hurting. I would have liked more information...this book raises more questions then it provides the solutions for....
Rating: 4
Summary: Kindness
Comment: While this is certainly not her best book that does not mean it is not a wonderful tale of Mrs. Paley's experience working with children. Like many of her other books, this is a narrative tale of individual events that have been strung together to show a common theme. In this book, Paley focuses upon her art of having children create their own imaginative stories that are then acted out by the other children in the class. She digs deeper though to watch how the children interact.
She tells of her observations and revelations that children are able to look past the minor defects and imperfections in a person's appearance or character and accept them for who they are. It is somewhere along our journey to adulthood that we lose that ability. Paley focuses upon the children and the actions that seem so remarkable to us that are so ordinary for them.
What this book lacks however is in-depth analysis of a group of children. This is not Paley's fault however. Since she has left teaching she does not have the time with a single group of children necessary to make such observations. It is still a wonderful introspective on the way adults and children differ in our social interactions.
Why 4 stars?: This book tells a nice and interesting tale of Paley's experiences with several classrooms around the world. She tells us of her observations of the why children are able to be unprejudiced and show true kindness to other children because they know no other way. Adults, on the other hand, seem to do it out of necessity. She reminds us that "The moral universe lies on the breath of schoolchildren." However, it would have been nicer to see some deeper analyses of groups and the individual episodes could have been strung together better. All in all, this is a nice and inspiring book for teachers and parents alike.
Rating: 4
Summary: Heartwarming
Comment: This is the first book by Paley I have read, and now I'm hooked! I am touched by her sensitivity and her openness to the wonder of the world of children. I felt that I was right there with her at the "storytelling table." An added bonus was her valuable references to Jewish storytelling traditions and her many biblical references. Anyone who works with children, especially "at-risk" children, would benefit from this book. An intimate and expressive work.
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Title: You Can't Say You Can't Play by Vivian Gussin Paley ISBN: 0674965906 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: September, 1993 List Price(USD): $13.50 |
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Title: The Girl With the Brown Crayon by Vivian Gussin Paley ISBN: 0674354427 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: September, 1998 List Price(USD): $13.50 |
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Title: The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter by Vivian Gussin Paley, Robert Coles ISBN: 0674080319 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: October, 1991 List Price(USD): $15.50 |
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Title: Boys and Girls: Superheroes in the Doll Corner by Vivan Gussin Paley, Vivian Gussin Paley, Philip W. Jackson ISBN: 0226644928 Publisher: University of Chicago Press (Trd) Pub. Date: March, 1986 List Price(USD): $8.31 |
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Title: Wally's Stories: Conversations in the Kindergarten by Vivian Gussin Paley ISBN: 067494593X Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: April, 1987 List Price(USD): $13.50 |
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