(25) All I really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Title: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
Publisher: Villard Books
196 Pages
Genre: Inspiration

Synopsis: Fulghum engages us with musings on life, death, love, pain, joy, sorrow, and the best chicken-fried steak in the continental U.S.A. The little seed in the Styrofoam cup offers a reminder about our own mortality and the delicate nature of life . . . a spider who catches (and loses) a full-grown woman in its web one fine morning teaches us about surviving catastrophe . . . the love story of Jean-Francois Pilatre and his hot air balloon reminds us to be brave and unafraid to “fly” . . . life lessons hidden in the laundry pile . . . magical qualities found in a box of crayons . . . hide-and-seek vs. sardines—and how these games relate to the nature of God.

Review: There is a new version of this book that was published in 2004 with 25 new essays.  While some people may find these short essays silly and a waste of time I think thats the whole point he was trying to make. Simple every day things have lessons about life if we only stop and look at them.  The Itsy Bitsy spider is a lesson of perseverance, simple games kids play teach us about life, love, pain and death. But somehow when we get older we forget all those things.  We forget how much fun rolling down a hill can be, the feeling of flying for that brief moment when you jump off a swing that was going really high. We think these things are silly and childish but they really remind us we are alive. If nothing else this book reminds us to take a step back and see the beauty in the simple things and reminds us to be silly every now and then.

Comments

  1. Ahhh... my fellow bookworm. You finally hit a book that I loathed. This whole book is one big hug after another and none seem applicable to adult life. There is no mention of honor, duty, or competition, although "hard work" gets a passing, indirect reference through, as you reference, perseverance. What annoyed me the most was the fact that kindergarten is the closest thing to Lord of the Flies that still exists in this country. Lessons from kindergarten that reflect the reality of kindergarten include "how to get girl germs, with no give backs," "eating something that is not food is a way to make a living," "do not be afraid to let someone know "she smells," "there is no sunblock for Indian burns," "hyperactivity means you are not a good teacher," "if you don't give me your cookie, I will tell the teacher on you," "you must share with himj, even though he did nothing to help earn the candy (Obama 2012 Bumper Sticker)," and the favorite of all time "you are not invited to my birthday party." Please make the promotion of this drek stop!

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