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Truth: The Merchant of Dreams: Talk with your kids
Why should you tell the truth? When is it okay to not tell the truth? When is a joke not a joke but a lie? Can silence be a lie? This is the first book in the “Ethics Morals Laws” series A. The books of the series are discussions' initiators consisting of exercises, quotes, and fairy tales. Each exercise poses a question about a conflict in a simple everyday situation. The child is asked to make a moral judgment on the conflict and explain his or her position. This is an entertaining and educational series of children's books on ethical, moral, and legal issues. This series develops and stimulates child’s critical thinking in a controlled environment. Moral values shouldn’t be hammered into children's brains. Instead, children should be allowed and encouraged to question those values from the earliest age. These books will extend and enhance school’s teaching because the modern educational system normally does not encourage independent thinking and shies away from questioning ethical, moral, and legal issues. Critical thinking is the most important tool a child must have to develop to his or her full potential, to successfully compete with others, and to leave a significant impact in the world. Critical thinking is crucial in developing strong ethical and moral values, and in defending them against the most skillful attackers on child’s life’s path. The central concept in this series is Truth. Normally Truth is not discussed in any educational setting beyond the most trivial “Don’t lie!” But Truth is probably the most charged ethical and emotional subject. People’s careers and personal relationship have been destroyed since ancient times with one sentence that everybody on Earth has been shocked to hear one time or another in their “You lied to me!” Truth is not just one of the most important subjects, but it’s also a method and a framework. To successfully study any other subject and to be able to distinguish between truth and the lies, the child must develop his or her reverence for inner truthfulness. The child should be encouraged and trained to approach any subject not by trying to figure out what is expected of him or her to say, but by trying to figure out the truth. Michael Faraday, one of the best physicist of all time, once explained most of the contemporary physics by writing a book on the subkect of a candle. Just a candle! Why? He "There is not a law under which any part of this universe is governed which does not come into play and is touched upon in these phenomena. There is no better, there is no more open door by which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy than by considering the physical phenomena of a candle." In this series, Truth plays the role of Faraday’s candle as a gateway to studying all other ethical, moral, and legal issues. Truthfulness is the most important characteristic of an individual. It is also the most important characteristic of society. We live at a time when political correctness takes over. People are afraid to speak truthfully. Politicians keep breaking their promises and we keep electing them. The truth is under attack. People are viciously attacked personally and sometimes physically if they try to have an honest discussion of ethical, moral, or legal issues. People are called names, and have their character and reputation destroyed just for asking questions. Truth is like blood in society. Telling the truth is like pumping the blood and in healthy societies that should not be prevented.
57 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 14, 2018
This book is a GREAT teaching tool for children and adults. It has short stories and you have to discuss the answer with your child. This book really makes you think as an adult with children. Is this the truth or is it a lie?? Good questions and should be discussed with children and get their opinion, there is no right or wrong answer. It's basically opinions that you and your children have and should share with each other.
I think I will use this book to teach my 8 year old about truth. It's a good homeschool teaching device.
This is a great 5 star rating. Even I learned something!!!☺
In won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway for an honest review!
I think I will use this book to teach my 8 year old about truth. It's a good homeschool teaching device.
This is a great 5 star rating. Even I learned something!!!☺
In won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway for an honest review!
October 4, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a download of this book through a Goodreads giveaway to facilitate writing this review. No other compensation was offered or requested.
“Don’t lie.” “Honesty is the best policy.” “The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” That’s what we tell our children. But then we hedge. “Sometimes it’s best just not to say anything.” “A white lie won’t hurt.” “It’s okay to lie to Nazis to protect people.”
This is the first in a series of children’s books about ethical subjects, designed to teach them how to think about dilemmas that might come up in their lives and understand how to make the best choices. The book is aimed at children roughly kindergarten to third-grade level, and is best used in conjunction with a parent or other trusted adult who can help talk the child through the situation.
As the introduction for adults notes, small children generally do not yet have the life tools to fully understand such concepts as probability analysis, cost/benefit ratio, or hidden consequences. Thus they will often misjudge when it is appropriate to lie or tell the truth. The introduction for children is a bit wordy, at about a fifth-grade reading level.
The body of the book is a series of vignettes about Chloe and her friends as they decide not to tell the truth. For example, Jay decides to tell Chloe a lie as a joke. Then justifications for two different views of the situation are presented, and the child must choose one. (Because this is for small children, the choices are kept binary.)
The final scenario, “Lying to Strangers” will need special finesse on the part of the adult helper, as it is Chloe’s truth-telling, not her earlier lie, that causes bad consequences.
There is an answer key at the back where Mr. Maymin gives his own opinions, but your mileage may vary.
Finally, there’s the short story that lends itself to the title of the book. It’s a fairy tale about a lie destroying a marriage. The story is dull and didactic, and honestly not very good. If you’re reading this book to your child, you might want to skip it.
The illustrations are adequate.
The idea of this book is solid, and it may be of use to parents who do not already have another book on hand that teaches their preferred values about truth and lying.
“Don’t lie.” “Honesty is the best policy.” “The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” That’s what we tell our children. But then we hedge. “Sometimes it’s best just not to say anything.” “A white lie won’t hurt.” “It’s okay to lie to Nazis to protect people.”
This is the first in a series of children’s books about ethical subjects, designed to teach them how to think about dilemmas that might come up in their lives and understand how to make the best choices. The book is aimed at children roughly kindergarten to third-grade level, and is best used in conjunction with a parent or other trusted adult who can help talk the child through the situation.
As the introduction for adults notes, small children generally do not yet have the life tools to fully understand such concepts as probability analysis, cost/benefit ratio, or hidden consequences. Thus they will often misjudge when it is appropriate to lie or tell the truth. The introduction for children is a bit wordy, at about a fifth-grade reading level.
The body of the book is a series of vignettes about Chloe and her friends as they decide not to tell the truth. For example, Jay decides to tell Chloe a lie as a joke. Then justifications for two different views of the situation are presented, and the child must choose one. (Because this is for small children, the choices are kept binary.)
The final scenario, “Lying to Strangers” will need special finesse on the part of the adult helper, as it is Chloe’s truth-telling, not her earlier lie, that causes bad consequences.
There is an answer key at the back where Mr. Maymin gives his own opinions, but your mileage may vary.
Finally, there’s the short story that lends itself to the title of the book. It’s a fairy tale about a lie destroying a marriage. The story is dull and didactic, and honestly not very good. If you’re reading this book to your child, you might want to skip it.
The illustrations are adequate.
The idea of this book is solid, and it may be of use to parents who do not already have another book on hand that teaches their preferred values about truth and lying.
September 4, 2018
Kept my interest throughout
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews