Big Ideas for Little Philosophers: Truth with Socrates

by Duane Armitage, Maureen McQuerry, Robin Rosenthal (Illustrator)

Overview

Explore the importance of truth with the youngest readers in a wonderfully accessible way.

Even little children have big questions about life. Socrates believed being truthful and asking questions about the world can make us wise, and Truth with Socrates brings his philosophy to the youngest thinkers. From the importance of being honest even if it's hard or makes you scared to always asking questions to understand more about everything around you, this book will lead to inspiring conversations about human dynamics between people of all ages.

Look for all six Big Ideas for Little Philosophers board books: Equality with Simone de Beauvoir, Truth with Socrates, Happiness with Aristotle, Imagination with René Descartes, Kindness with Confucius, Love with Plato, and Truth with Socrates.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593108758
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Series:	Big Ideas for Little Philosophers , #4
Pages:	22
Sales rank:	272,436
Product dimensions:	7.06(w) x 7.06(h) x 0.55(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Dr. Duane Armitage is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at The University of Scranton. He is the author of several books on European philosophy, and a popular lecturer who challenges students to think deeply about life's big questions. He believes that conversations about the nature of wisdom and how to live rightly are essential for people of all ages. He lives with his wife Claire and parrot Coco in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Maureen McQuerry is an award-winning children's author, poet, and teacher. She is a former middle and high school teacher with a specialty in gifted education and also has a Master's Degree in early education. In 2000 she was awarded the McAuliffe Teaching Fellowship for Washington State. Maureen currently supervises student teachers for Washington State University.

Robin Rosenthal is an illustrator and art director. She grew up in Connecticut and now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter. You can see more of her work at robinrosenthal.com.

Editorial Reviews

Presents some simple and vital moral truths and should get kids thinking about thinking . . . Sweetly age appropriate . . . It teaches children to value truth and honesty, though, and to build an inquisitive spirit.” –Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2020-03-29
While this book won’t help toddlers understand the scale of Socrates’ importance to Western thought, it presents some simple and vital moral truths and should get kids thinking about thinking.

In a spate of board books for toddlers aiming to introduce them to concepts perhaps better suited to college classrooms, this volume manages to be sweetly age appropriate. It will not give young children an appreciation of the Socratic method; in fact, no iteration of the term occurs. If it teaches children to value truth and honesty, though, and to build an inquisitive spirit, it will justify its place on a child’s bookshelf. As portrayed herein, Socrates is a brown-skinned, bearded old man with a toga, staff, and dog; he has large eyes and appears to be thinking hard. Simple, clear text explains, “A philosopher is someone who loves wisdom.… / Socrates was a philosopher who lived a long time ago.” A racially diverse cast of children, some with visible disabilities, explores their world, asking themselves, “Why am I here?” and “Where did the world come from?” The characters’ large oval heads allow for big, expressive faces with lots of personality. Contrasting pastels and a rich palette of distinct skin tones, varied fonts with colorful highlights, and eye-catching background patterns provide great visual appeal. “Socrates...said wisdom meant wondering about the truth.… / What is something you wonder about?”

Raises more questions than it answers…and that’s good. (Board book. 1-4)

Kirkus Reviews