E Is for Ethics: How to Talk to Kids About Morals, Values, and What Matters Most

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E Is for Ethics: How to Talk to Kids About Morals, Values, and What Matters Most (eBook) Pub. Date: 12/8/2009 Publisher: Atria Books
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E Is for Ethics: How to Talk to Kids About Morals, Values, and What Matters Most (Atria Books) Pub. Date: 7/19/2011 Publisher: Atria Books
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E Is for Ethics: How to Talk to Kids About Morals, Values, and What Matters Most Pub. Date: 12/8/2009 Publisher: Atria Books

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Overview

Now in paperback, E Is for Ethics—an indispensable parenting tool to help instill a sense of morality and fair play in young children.

At one time, schools in America offered instructions on character development and ethics. Today that’s no longer the case, and many parents often feel at a loss over the seemingly daunting task of teaching their children to be good, moral citizens.

Astonishingly, there has never been a book meant for parents to read with their children with the goal of teaching basic morals—until E Is for Ethics. Corlett’s twenty-six simple, clear, fun and original stories have been carefully crafted for parents to read to their child, aged four to ten. Each insightful story features one of two children, Elliott or his sister Lucy, centering on a different positive ethic, such as tact, empathy, and understanding. At the end of each story there are several questions that will help children and parents discuss the implications of each tale. R. A. Holt’s charming illustrations add to the fun.

Boasting years of children’s television experience, a seasoned knowledge of how children and parents interact, and a knack for lively storytelling, Corlett offers an inventive, whimsical book to help parents navigate important issues of ethics and morality that all kids are sure to enjoy as they learn.

Ian James Corlett

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

When their two children were young, kids’ TV writer and animator Corlett and his wife initiated a weekly family after-dinner discussion to explain and foster ethical and moral values. Admitting that he is a plain old dad and not a Ph.D. in ethics, Corlett nonetheless felt obliged to address the void in moral education left as school and even Sunday school curricula stopped routinely teaching ethics for “it seems no one wants to touch the subject of right and wrong anymore.” He developed two charming and lovably humorous characters—Elliot and his sister, Lucy—and 26 story situations that take place in families, at school, in team sports and in the community, each of which demonstrates a different ethic ranging from honesty and understanding through forgiveness, courage and perseverance to loyalty, gratitude, fairness and acceptance. Even citizenship, generosity, trust and respect are covered as Elliot and Lucy encounter life’s moral predicaments. Each of the 250-word “lessons” is followed by a “what would you do?” kind of question, the definition of a moral quality with accompanying short commentary and a pertinent famous quote or two, which together point youngsters toward doing the right thing and understanding why. Most likely to be well received by younger kids, this charming, interactive little book is appropriate for kids preschool to tween age and their parents. (Dec.)

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781416596547
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: 12/8/2009
Pages: 128
Sales rank: 425,186
Product dimensions: 6.00 (w) x 8.10 (h) x 0.70 (d)

Meet the Author

Ian James Corlett is the author of E IS FOR ETHICS and E IS FOR ENVIRONMENT. He is well known in the world of children's television and has created, written for, and/or developed many popular children's series, such as The Adventures of Paddington Bear, Rolie Polie Olie, Will & Dewitt, and his namesake series, Being Ian. Ian is also a renowned voice actor. He is the voice for literally hundreds of animated characters as diverse as Baby Taz of the Baby Looney Tunes and Dad in Johnny Test. The father of two and husband of one for more than twenty-five years, he currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Palm Springs, California.

R.A. "Riley" Holt is a Canadian illustrator, designer, and artist who lives in Vancouver. Riley is proficient in a wide range of styles and uses many different mediums in his broad spectrum of artwork.

Read an Excerpt

1

Honesty

It was a rainy winter day. Elliott was walking to the video store with his mother to pick up a movie for the evening. Mom was looking for a light comedy to watch with Dad as the fireplace crackled, but Elliott had nothing but spaceships on his mind. That is, until he noticed a crisp, new five-dollar bill lying on the ground at the entrance to the shop. His mother didn’t see it as she entered the video store, but Elliott locked on it like a tractor beam. Since no one was around, he picked it up and shoved it deep into his pocket.

As he drifted toward the “Outer Space” section, Elliott could not believe his good luck. He could hardly concentrate on selecting a movie because he was daydreaming about all the wild and wonderful ways he could spend his newfound fortune. He wandered around in such a daze that he didn’t even realize that not only had he not chosen a movie, but he was now standing in the checkout line beside his mother, who was waiting to pay.

Suddenly, his daydream was shattered when the lady in front of them, who was frantically searching through her purse, gasped. “I am positive I had five dollars,” she said. “I know because I just got a nice, crisp one in change from the last store ... Oh, heavens! It must’ve dropped out of my bag!”

Elliott’s heart sank.Would he be honest and give the lady the five-dollar bill?

QUESTION

What would be the honest thing for Elliott to do?

As with so many ethical qualities, being honest makes you feel great inside. Sometimes it’s difficult to be honest with others or even yourself, but when you are, there is no better way of life. Elliott felt great when he was guided by honesty about the money.

MORE QUESTIONS

What else could Elliott have done as soon as he found the five-dollar bill?

How would Elliott have felt later if he had decided to keep the five dollars?

Can you tell us about a situation you can remember when you or a friend displayed honesty?

“Honesty is the best policy.”
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
“Honesty: The best of all the lost arts.”
MARK TWAIN

Foreword ix

1 Honesty 1

2 Understanding 5

3 Forgiveness 9

4 Courage 13

5 Tact 17

6 Perseverance 21

7 Politeness 25

8 Loyalty 29

9 Gratitude 33

10 Truthfulness 37

11 Fairness 41

12 Acceptance 45

13 Patience 49

14 Sincerity 53

15 Citizenship 57

16 Integrity 61

17 Kindness 65

18 Responsibility 69

19 Effort 73

20 Empathy 77

21 Charity 81

22 Helpfulness 85

23 Generosity 89

24 Willingness 93

25 Trust 97

26 Respect 101

A New Year 105

Acknowledgments 107

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HomeSchoolBookReview

Posted March 8, 2010

useful tool in teaching children ethics

What is the best source for children to learn ethics, values, and morals? They used to learn them in religious services, but kids who go are usually there only an hour or two a week, and many no longer attend at all. I can remember being taught them in school, but, then, that was forty to fifty years ago, and today's public schools apparently have to be "values neutral" in their approach to what they call "character training." Television? Well, that's certainly not the best place, but for many kids it's probably the only place. However, children's first, and best, teachers have always been their parents. Yet, many parents find that they need something to assist them, and that's where this book can come in handy.

Ethics is defined as "the study and philosophy of human conduct, with emphasis on the determination of right and wrong." It is not merely the province of academic philosophers in ivory towers, but is actually the stuff of every day living-the choices that we make and the basis upon which we make them. It used to be that the ethics, values, and morals of a culture were handed down from generation to generation, but in more recent years the mobility of our society and related factors (such as mass media) have greatly lessened the impact of previous generations' collective wisdom. Therefore, it is imperative that parents personally take it in hand to raise their children to be ethical, to understand the difference between right and wrong.

E is for Ethics is a book of 26 simple yet fun stories about Elliot and Lucy, two young children who are faced with various situations in which a positive ethic, such as respect, honesty, kindness, charity, or integrity, can be demonstrated. The goal is for the stories to be read to children by parents and then discussed as a family. There are questions at the end of each chapter for this purpose. Author Ian James Corlett, a children's television creator, writer, developer, and voice actor who is also the father of two children, was motivated to address the subject when his own family grappled with these issues. While his kids were small, he and his wife started a weekly discussion using these tales, and then he decided to write them down to help other parents. R. A. Holt's humorous illustrations are a welcome addition to the entertaining nature of the book. Many parents will find it a useful tool for helping them to instill ethics in their children.
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Posted April 8, 2010

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E Is for Ethics: How to Talk to Kids About Morals, Values, and What Matters Most

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