“This is a great resource for those interested in pre-college philosophy and in elementary education, and for parents generally. It also will be useful to upper-level philosophy and education students looking for novel approaches within their disciplines. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.” (Choice, 1 November 2013)
“Filled with humor and keen insights, A Sneetch is a Sneetch and other Philosophical Discoveries is essential reading for anyone with an interest in philosophy or children’s literature – and by anyone, I mean anyone – from the mom or dad looking for something interesting to read to their toddler, to writers of every ilk, and yes, even full fledge, academically inclined philosophers. Happy pondering!!.” (History in Review, 3 June 2013)
“This is a wonderful book. Written with humor and clarity, it’s a primer/refresher on philosophy and ethics. Wartenberg uses children’s books to tackle the kinds of profound questions kids ask: is it possible to do nothing? What makes a leopard a leopard and not a dog? How can it be wrong to give someone what they want? The book shows the way to discussions in the realm of ideas with your kids, using their favorite picture books. Good picture books provoke good questions, and then the fun of thinking and talking about all the possible answers.”
―Mordicai Gerstein, Caldecott winning author of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
“Wartenberg simultaneously shows the philosophical seriousness of children’s literature and the childlike wonder of philosophy. Completely convincing and utterly charming.”
―Claudia Mills, Philosophy Department, University of Colorado at Boulder, and award-winning children’s book author
From the Inside Flap
That children’s picture books can be a source of engaging but puzzling philosophical ideas and theories is an intriguing idea, and reflects the notion that children are natural born philosophers. In A Sneetch is a Sneetch and Other Philosophical Discoveries, Tom Wartenberg illuminates the surprisingly profound thought found in sixteen picture books, from Dr. Seuss’s Sneetches to William Steig’s Shrek! With a light touch and good humor, Wartenberg explains and discusses the philosophical ideas in these classic stories, from ethics to aesthetics, from theories of knowledge to the nature of reality.
Wartenberg provides a unique introduction to philosophical ideas using children’s books as a starting point for valuable and engaging discussions between children and their parents, and as a means of helping parents and children both get more out of the books they read together. With original illustrations and written in an accessible style, A Sneetch is a Sneetch provides an interesting and imaginative point of access to the depths of philosophy… and children’s picture books.
From the Back Cover
That children’s picture books can be a source of engaging but puzzling philosophical ideas and theories is an intriguing idea, and reflects the notion that children are natural born philosophers. In A Sneetch is a Sneetch and Other Philosophical Discoveries, Tom Wartenberg illuminates the surprisingly profound thought found in sixteen picture books, from Dr. Seuss’s Sneetches to William Steig’s Shrek! With a light touch and good humor, Wartenberg explains and discusses the philosophical ideas in these classic stories, from ethics to aesthetics, from theories of knowledge to the nature of reality.
Wartenberg provides a unique introduction to philosophical ideas using children’s books as a starting point for valuable and engaging discussions between children and their parents, and as a means of helping parents and children both get more out of the books they read together. With original illustrations and written in an accessible style, A Sneetch is a Sneetch provides an interesting and imaginative point of access to the depths of philosophy… and children’s picture books.
About the Author
Thomas E. Wartenberg is Professor of Philosophy at Mount Holyoke College, USA. He founded the Teaching Children Philosophy program, which won the 2011 APA/PDC Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs. Its website, www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org, receives tens of thousands of visits monthly. Professor Wartenberg’s 13 books as author or editor include Big Ideas for Little Kids: Teaching Philosophy through Children’s Literature (2009), Existentialism: A Beginner’s Guide (2008), and The Philosophy of Film: Introductory Text and Readings (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005), which he co-edited with Angela Curran. He has been awarded Senior Fulbright Fellowships to Germany and New Zealand, as well as a National Endowment for the Humanities Research Fellowship. He has also directed two National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminars for School Teachers.
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