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Everyday Graces: A Child's Book of Good Manners
The regrettable fact is that the subject of manners is not much discussed anymore, and good manners seem practiced even less. But good manners are a prerequisite for the growth of moral character; they are the habits of conduct and behavior by which we express in the most ordinary circumstances our fundamental respect for others, whether parents, friends, colleagues, or strangers.
Fortunately, Karen Santorum has produced for parents and teachers a wonderfully rich and instructive anthology to help instill good manners in our children—and stand against a decline of civility and a coarsening of our common life.
Under such headings as “Honor Your Mother and Father,” “Please and Thank You,” “No Hurtful Words,” “Good Behavior in Sport,” and “Showing Respect for Country,” Everyday Graces features stories and poems that will develop and enrich the moral imagination. This marvelous anthology features classic selections from such well-known authors as Hans Christian Anderson, Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain, Frances Hodgson Burnett, C. S. Lewis, Max Lucado, and Arnold Lobel, as well as forgotten gems that deserve a new hearing.
Mrs. Santorum writes that this anthology grew out of the frustration of not being able to find a book on manners that instructs through stories rather than by rules of dos and don’ts. She and her husband tried and tested many of these selections on their six children. Each of the selections is briefly introduced with a thoughtful commentary at the close, producing an informality and intimacy that is inviting and infectious.
Find out why Everyday Graces has become a beloved feature in homes, schools, churches, and libraries across America.
Fortunately, Karen Santorum has produced for parents and teachers a wonderfully rich and instructive anthology to help instill good manners in our children—and stand against a decline of civility and a coarsening of our common life.
Under such headings as “Honor Your Mother and Father,” “Please and Thank You,” “No Hurtful Words,” “Good Behavior in Sport,” and “Showing Respect for Country,” Everyday Graces features stories and poems that will develop and enrich the moral imagination. This marvelous anthology features classic selections from such well-known authors as Hans Christian Anderson, Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain, Frances Hodgson Burnett, C. S. Lewis, Max Lucado, and Arnold Lobel, as well as forgotten gems that deserve a new hearing.
Mrs. Santorum writes that this anthology grew out of the frustration of not being able to find a book on manners that instructs through stories rather than by rules of dos and don’ts. She and her husband tried and tested many of these selections on their six children. Each of the selections is briefly introduced with a thoughtful commentary at the close, producing an informality and intimacy that is inviting and infectious.
Find out why Everyday Graces has become a beloved feature in homes, schools, churches, and libraries across America.
407 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2003
47 people are currently reading
491 people want to read
About the author
Karen Santorum
3 books5 followersWife of former senator and candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination Rick Santorum
Karen married Rick in 1990 and they have 7 children including one stillborn child.
In the past she has dated the 40 year older abortionist Tom Allen, who also delivered her as a baby.
Karen married Rick in 1990 and they have 7 children including one stillborn child.
In the past she has dated the 40 year older abortionist Tom Allen, who also delivered her as a baby.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 1, 2016
Reading as part of our home education curriculum. Great book. Kids are always asking for a story out of this book!
Fun to grab this book during eating times when the kids get squirrely. It instantly gets their attention. Taking our time with this book and enjoying it.6/4/15
Still really enjoying this book and finding that taking our time with it is perfect! It gives us time to reflect and put the manners into practice..krb 2/13/16
Put this book into our Morning Time Basket..krb 2/19/16
Jacob saw how little we have left in this book and was sad until I told him that as soon as we finish we will start again on page 1 :)....krb 9/8/16
Everyone agrees that this was an awesome book! Jacob's favorite school book we have read. 5 stars. Definitely will read again and again..krb 11/1/16
Fun to grab this book during eating times when the kids get squirrely. It instantly gets their attention. Taking our time with this book and enjoying it.6/4/15
Still really enjoying this book and finding that taking our time with it is perfect! It gives us time to reflect and put the manners into practice..krb 2/13/16
Put this book into our Morning Time Basket..krb 2/19/16
Jacob saw how little we have left in this book and was sad until I told him that as soon as we finish we will start again on page 1 :)....krb 9/8/16
Everyone agrees that this was an awesome book! Jacob's favorite school book we have read. 5 stars. Definitely will read again and again..krb 11/1/16
May 22, 2023
A really good "morning basket" book to read with the kids.
June 20, 2018
Mrs. Santorum is by all accounts a very gracious woman and I think this book shows that. This book touches upon the Christian dimension of manners, which is that if you put yourself in other people’s shoes, try to see what they need, your manners will improve even without hard and fast rules. Now the heart of this book is to talk about manners through stories which is a less direct way of teaching. I found most of the stories to be aimed at the intellect through humor rather than the conscience though. I would have preferred more conscience so that the book could be used for children in the prime of logical direction. As a practical matter, a detailed Index of particular occasions would have been helpful, otherwise you have to pre-read the book to make sure you can find the skill you need when something comes up.
January 25, 2008
Here's another book that Matt gave me for Christmas. (Thank you, sweets!) It is a compilation of stories about good manners grouped into nice chapters, easy-to-reference chapters. We mostly read it on an as needed basis. Surprisingly, there are lots of good things you can learn from the mistakes of frogs and the like.
March 8, 2018
I love the idea of this book. I had wanted to get my hands on a copy for several years. When I finally ordered it used, I was really excited.
Shortly after starting it with the kids, I was disappointed. There were many typographical errors and things that put me off right away. For instance, I feel like the inclusion of "Amelia Bedelia" (while I love the story) in this anthology was poorly orchestrated. It was presented without any of its pictures, and it is a story that NEEDs its pictures because the text references the events and happenings in the pictures without actually naming them. On top of that, in the printing of this particular story, the text just doubled up partway through and reprinted the same portion of the story. :-( Boo. The editing could have been done better.
As we went along, there were fewer and fewer errors, and we enjoyed a lot of the poems and short stories. I liked how the material was separated into categories for character traits/topics, although many of the selections seemed rather a stretch for trying to be relevant to the categories into which they were placed. At any rate, this is a good collection of quotable things that are perfect for utilizing for copywork/penmanship practice.
I am the kind of person that would like to read a good story in its entirety rather than being teased with a chapter or two taken from some section of a long book. This anthology had a goodly supply of random chapters (present for illustrating some trait) which we read sometimes but mostly skipped. We have plans to read the whole books as a family anyway (for instance, Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden) so I didn't really want to spoil the books by jumping in at Chapter Whatever.
I will keep this book around for the many great short stories and poems, and I'm sure we will enjoy using it as a reference and source of copywork assignments. There were some really well-chosen writings. :-)
Shortly after starting it with the kids, I was disappointed. There were many typographical errors and things that put me off right away. For instance, I feel like the inclusion of "Amelia Bedelia" (while I love the story) in this anthology was poorly orchestrated. It was presented without any of its pictures, and it is a story that NEEDs its pictures because the text references the events and happenings in the pictures without actually naming them. On top of that, in the printing of this particular story, the text just doubled up partway through and reprinted the same portion of the story. :-( Boo. The editing could have been done better.
As we went along, there were fewer and fewer errors, and we enjoyed a lot of the poems and short stories. I liked how the material was separated into categories for character traits/topics, although many of the selections seemed rather a stretch for trying to be relevant to the categories into which they were placed. At any rate, this is a good collection of quotable things that are perfect for utilizing for copywork/penmanship practice.
I am the kind of person that would like to read a good story in its entirety rather than being teased with a chapter or two taken from some section of a long book. This anthology had a goodly supply of random chapters (present for illustrating some trait) which we read sometimes but mostly skipped. We have plans to read the whole books as a family anyway (for instance, Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden) so I didn't really want to spoil the books by jumping in at Chapter Whatever.
I will keep this book around for the many great short stories and poems, and I'm sure we will enjoy using it as a reference and source of copywork assignments. There were some really well-chosen writings. :-)
May 26, 2015
This took us a LONG time to get through. True, there were stops and starts but we hacked away at it over time.
It's a cute book. There are short stories spilled in amongst morals and lessons. We found several books the kids wanted in full. So that was great. Also, there were several poems we memorized. And one book of poetry they wanted.
We've read books we loved more but this is an easy book to read with only a short amount of time available. Since it's split up into such small segments you can easily pick how much to read.
The most amazing part of the book was that on Memorial day we got to the last chapter on patriotism. Living in Singapore it's hard to be patriotic (for America). So we had an absolute blast reading poems, stories and singing songs on Memorial Day, in Singapore, from this book. What a complete and utter God Thing! I think we loved that more than the entire book!!!!
It's a cute book. There are short stories spilled in amongst morals and lessons. We found several books the kids wanted in full. So that was great. Also, there were several poems we memorized. And one book of poetry they wanted.
We've read books we loved more but this is an easy book to read with only a short amount of time available. Since it's split up into such small segments you can easily pick how much to read.
The most amazing part of the book was that on Memorial day we got to the last chapter on patriotism. Living in Singapore it's hard to be patriotic (for America). So we had an absolute blast reading poems, stories and singing songs on Memorial Day, in Singapore, from this book. What a complete and utter God Thing! I think we loved that more than the entire book!!!!
August 24, 2011
This is a wonderful book that helps children learn about everyday manners and a polite way to navigate the world by using poetry, fables, excerpts of stories, Bible verses, etc to teach rather than preach. After many of the stories the author adds a little thoughtful paragraph about what the child can take from the story and how he/she can apply it to life. I think it would be fun to incorporate this into a bedtime routine - almost like a daily devotional.
AA is still a little too young to really 'get' this book. Her attention wandered and her thinking is still so concrete. I plan to re-introduce it when she is closer to five or six.
AA is still a little too young to really 'get' this book. Her attention wandered and her thinking is still so concrete. I plan to re-introduce it when she is closer to five or six.
January 19, 2011
This is a sweet book filled with passages from classical stories, poems, and literature that discuss topics of good manners and also builds character. It includes and array of authors from C.S. Lewis to Hans Christian Anderson. So far, the kids have really enjoyed listening to me read from this book.
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May 4, 2013I'm working on creating a booklist for my local public library. This book was one in consideration for this list.
Not going on my list. Another book for adults to relate to children. It's a collection of stories, yes, but there are too many of the classic stories, and I want to incorporate the newer stuff into my list.
Not going on my list. Another book for adults to relate to children. It's a collection of stories, yes, but there are too many of the classic stories, and I want to incorporate the newer stuff into my list.
March 25, 2016
I would use selected stories from this book to teach students a lesson. For example to teach a lesson on telling the truth, I could read Mercury and the Woodman by Aesop and George Washington and the Cherry Tree. The students could compare and contrast these two stories and write their own tale to teach someone that telling the truth is the best policy.
November 14, 2013
This story gives examples of good manners children can learn and practice.
This can be used in the classroom for setting an example of the manners children can use when talking to one another or to an adult.
This can be used in the classroom for setting an example of the manners children can use when talking to one another or to an adult.
August 6, 2015
This is a fantastic collection of stories and poems. I need to buy it!
October 22, 2014
Cute book in the vein of the "Book of Virtues" books. Great bedtime reading because you have a captive audience!
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November 21, 2009None
April 10, 2010
Excellent book to read with your kids. They will love the stories and learn important lessons on the way!
August 30, 2012
A wonderful book every family should own!
September 4, 2012
I read the 2012 edition, so it's updated and there are a few changes. I think this will be a great resource in teaching our children.
March 5, 2013
A great resources for teaching children. I really love that it incorporates Bible verses throughout with the stories.
February 4, 2020
Delightful read aloud that had my kids begging for more!
April 22, 2020
I love how the text incorporates lessons in manners and virtues through other literature, poems, and short stories. We learned a lot and enjoyed hearing passages from read a louds past. Great, simple addition to a morning time read aloud routine or before bed.
March 20, 2023
Raised my children on this as a read aloud each morning: classic lit, poetry, Aesop's fables, children's non-fiction, an anthology.
May 15, 2023
When I was younger I really enjoyed re-reading this book
June 3, 2023
We didn’t finish this but it was good and the kids really liked it. It has poems and snippets from many classic books that made me just want to read the whole book with my kids.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews