The Value of Imagination: The Story of Charles Dickens

ValueTales Series

by Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi

A biography of the nineteenth-century English novelist, Charles Dickens, emphasizing the value of an imaginative mind.

Genres: Biography, Childrens, History, Picture Books

63 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1977

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Patrick Spencer Johnson was an American writer. He was known for the ValueTales series of children's books, and for his 1998 self-help book Who Moved My Cheese?, which recurred on the New York Times Bestseller list, on the Publishers Weekly Hardcover nonfiction list. Johnson was the chairman of Spencer Johnson Partners.

Reviews

[Brandi Larsen]

I received this series as a present for, I believe, my kindergarten graduation. It's wonderful to go back to read it to my daughter.

This is a biography with a twist. Each person (in this case, Dickens) has an imaginary friend who "helps" him make the right decision. The book teaches the value of a specific trait (imagination) by showing how the subject exhibited that trait and how it helped that person.

I think this series has weathered the years well and serves as a good introduction to a host of wonderful people. I'm looking forward to reading this book and the rest of the series to my daughter for years to come.

[Leah Waggoner]

Delightful. I can’t wait to reread Oliver Twist. Biography of Charles Dickens. Poor family. Worked as court reporter to earn money.

“One day, Charles got tired of writing down only what other people said. He decided to use his imagination and make up a story of his own.”

“Whole crowds of characters were already there in his mind, just waiting for him to put them on paper.”

I love thinking about him reading aloud to audiences. His books were highly demanded and his reading of them was too. People gathered, not if or movies or parties, but for group “read aloud.” How amazing is that?? Let’s continue reading aloud all our days. Counter cultural today, but who cares?? Magic is released from the pages….

[Kelly Wickham]

I went through a phase in 2nd or 3rd grade when I loved the "Value" books and I checked them all out at the school library. I have started collecting my own and relish reading them to the kids. I don't think that they enjoy them as much as I do. They are a bit long for younger kids, but regardless, I think that there is a lesson to be learned in each one and that they soak up some of that even if they don't take it all in. This one is about Charles Dickens and his imaginary friend, B.W., short for Bookworm. It tells the struggles of Dickens and his family and all the people of England at that time. It illustrates how he becomes a writer and a friend and advocate for the struggling poor. I enjoyed this book as I now enjoy reading all of the Dickens novels.

[Vittoria]

Je n'ai pas vraiment aimé le livre parce que Charles Dickens vivait tout seul. Toute sa famille ont été mis en prison. Ça me faisait triste parce que si ma famille était en prison je serait vraiment triste.

[Jenna]

I liked it.

[Ladonte Groves]

i love this book

[C.G. Fewston]

I read this book when I was a kid and remember it fondly, and will have to revisit it with my children.

[寿理 宮本]

I both LOVE this and kind of resent it, because Dickens wrote about injustice, and he saw justice done as a result of his writing. Flash-forward to today, where it's all being undone... certainly where *I* am.

A nitpick I have is, the way the text describes it, Dickens had photographic memory or close to it, and he simply recalled things he'd seen and people he'd met and feelings everyone had. Imagining doesn't come into the picture as much if it's just basic recall and changing a few details. I imagined (haha) that Lewis Carroll or J.R.R. Tolkien might've been a better subject for the value of "imagination" than someone who wrote mostly slice-of-life exposés about England's darker corners.

Then again, that was my complaint about The Value of Believing in Yourself, that it didn't REALLY describe Louis Pasteur believing in himself other than REALLY HOPING his idea worked, or else that boy infected by rabies would've died.

I mean, I *sort of* think this would've been better as The Value of Creativity, since he brought his memories into existence, but I *guess* Thomas Edison is a better candidate for that.

I don't know. I do know that this is a lovely and inspiring biography about Dickens (even if it claims he hallucinated a bookworm talking to him, haha), and I would definitely recommend this to younger readers... certainly more than some of the other books in the series. Dickens might be a bit farther out than particularly young readers might understand, though, especially since things like debtor's prisons have been done away with... in England, anyway.

Edit to add:
Unimaginatively, there's a The Value of Imagination 2: The Story of Jim Henson! Couldn't think of another word, huh?

[Elizabeth Joyce]

Reread this book as I was packing this series in a box to give away. I remember my mother reading this book and the rest of the series. I learned about a famous person in history and a character trait. I truly enjoyed this series when I was younger.

[Emily]

I read this one to my kids as we are studying classical London and the history of England together. Charles Dickens was a favorite childhood author of mine. His stories inspired a nation to make some incredible changes. Great and easy read.

[Pretzel Penpal]

Nice message for children, enjoyable fast read. I hadn’t read this one when I was a kid, and I liked the message of this story

[Agnes]

What a great series! Dickens' childhood was no joke-his whole family put in debtor's prison while he worked in a factory-at 12!
Charming illustrations.

[Sophie Plouffe]

One of the best children’s book i’ve read. I literally have to mention i’m biased, Charles Dickens is my favorite author. Although, it is a perfectly well put, children appropriate book, that reflects shockingly accurately the life of Dickens. His struggles, his ambitions and his will to write for social reform. I have to admit, it made me tear up. I’d love my children to hear this story, so I can share with them my love for Charles Dickens. I am eager to read the rest of the collection that I have in my possession since my childhood!

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams]

Great book telling the story of a great man!