E Is for Ethics: How to Talk to Kids About Morals, Values, and What Matters Most

by Ian James Corlett, R.A. Holt (Illustrator)

Teaching children ethics, values, and morals has become a real challenge for parents today. These topics aren't usually covered in school curriculums, and many families no longer attend religious services, so most modern moms and dads are clamoring for a helping hand. Ian James Corlett, an award-winning children's TV writer, was inspired to write this book as his own family grappled with this issue. When Ian's two kids were very young, he and his wife started a weekly discussion period he dubbed "Family Fun Time." Every Monday after dinner, they all sat down and Ian would tell his two kids tales about two young children, Elliott and Lucy, who were much like them. - They hated going to the dentist. - They were disappointed when a favorite aunt couldn't visit. - They dreaded raking the leaves in their backyard. Ian's kids really looked forward to these talks and they hardly even realized that the stories were serving a deeper purpose -- to teach tact, understanding, and responsibility. So he decided to write these stories down to help other parents -- like you. The result is in your twenty-six simple, clear, original, and entertaining stories for you to read aloud with your child. Teaching your children values, life skills, and ethics has never been so much fun!

Genres: Parenting, Childrens, Picture Books

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kathie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good, short lessons for kids. The questions at the end are great for highlighting the important parts of each lesson and helping kids see how the lessons relate to their own lives.

Some of the lessons could have a more universally relatable story. One example is Respect. The lesson ended up being about respecting other cultures, which is important, but may have been better as its own chapter. I would have liked to see more of an everyday situation.

I checked this out at the library and found it at the Dollar Tree today. I was pretty excited about that find.

[Chanell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not crazy about all the individual stories, but I love the concept of this book. Has been a conversation starter for my kids

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

not what I expected and my child is too young for the stories now. I am wondering if these are any 'better' than what I remember - Aesop's fables and the Bible. I thought it was a book for parents on how to teach ethics. Instead, it is a book with little ethical stories followed by discussion questions. It has a nice cover, nice artwork and is high quality - but the content is lacking.

[Barbara Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is a Children’s TV writer and animator by trade. Distressed by the fact that schools no longer include ethics and civics teaching in their curriculum, he decided that he and his wife must assume that responsibility. Many years ago when his children were young, he and his wife decided to set one night a week as a family discussion time. Corlett developed a series of twenty-six stories that exemplified different aspects of moral behavior. Following each story, the children engaged in interactive questions for discussion as well as suggested activities.
The following is a list of the topics discussed in these stories: honesty, understanding, forgiveness, courage, perseverance, tact, politeness, loyalty, gratitude, truthfulness, sincerity, integrity, citizenship, responsibility, kindness, generosity, helpfulness, empathy, charity, trust, willingness, respect, fairness, acceptance, patience, and effort. There are simple colorful illustrations of a young child like the character of Lucy or Eliot featured in each story. A few famous quotations are sprinkled throughout.
This book provides a wonderful opportunity for parents to spend time getting to know what their children are thinking as well as fulfilling a necessary parental responsibility to guide and form a child’s character and values. Recommended for all ages in the family to enjoy and share

[Aubrie Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth Choice Book-

I think this book is really helpful. Every night, my family and I used to read a story and talk about it. I found this book in my bookshelf a few nights ago and decided it would be a great book to talk about.

First of all, I think that the foreword is hilarious.
Second, the book was well written with questions to talk about at the end and quotes. The stories are relatable and great real life problems.
Third, I wish that I had read more of these as a child. If you are a parent or teacher and you are reading this, I would definitely recommend reading this book to your kids/students.

Thank you so much for writing a great book!

:)

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really cute book. Good read for all ages!

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read a chapter a night to my kiddo before bed. Great conversation starters!

[Asha Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like me, wonder how to instil good morals and values in your kids, then E is for Ethics is the right book for you. I personally enjoyed reading this book by Corlett who calls himself the POD (Plain Old Dad), he reminds each one of us how important it is to instil good values in children. Corlett shares his experience bringing up his two children as well as 26 short but easy to understand stories different values in a story form for parents to read to their children. At the end of each story, parents can get the kids involved in a discussion by asking simple questions on how they would react to a particular situation.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just started reading this to the boys at night before they go to bed. There are 26 stories that help you talk to your children about Honesty, Understanding, Forgiveness, Courage, Tact, Preserverance, Politeness, Loyalty, Gratitude, Truthfulnes, Fairness, Acceptance, Patience, Sincerity, Citizenship, Integrity, Kindness, Responsibility, Effort, Empathy, Charity, Helpfulness, Generosity, Willingess, and Respect. We should finish in 26 days, the author(not LDS) designed this book to be like FHE lessons. Great idea.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of short (two pages) stories in which a brother and sister face ethical dilemmas. Should they tease the new kid? Fight over toys? Cheat in a game? Each story has discussion questions and a recap of the issue at hand (fairness, tolerance, etc). T & C LOVED this. We originally read it during family meetings, but they begged for it at bedtime too. Checked this one out of the library, but would definitely buy it.

[Tim Sormin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some situations don't quiiiiite fit the word they're supposed to illustrate, in my opinion, but I think it's a fantastic facilitator of discussion. Some of the situations are challenging for adults to suss out, let alone kids, but I actually like the fact that there isn't always an obviously correct answer to these ethical quandaries. I have NOT tried any of these with my kids yet, but I plan to when they're just a bit older.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read about five of the stories in this book. The writing didn't resonate with me as much as I would have liked, but the format is quite good. There's a value, or virtue, discussed in each short chapter that helps children understand what the virtue is. Each chapter shares a story about the virtue, provides famous quotes, and some discussion questions. So, I'd like to give it a go with my students. Maybe I'll decide to upgrade my rating after trying it with them.

[Irene B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read about this book in the Washington Post and borrowed from library. Very useful for teachers. Buying two copies for use at school. Stories related to positive values with questions for children about what they would do in the situations that arose.

[Traci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very intersting.

[Pam]

very good short stories to read to your children to generate discussion
uses all the words we use for head heart and hand and most of 8 keys too

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was perfect for the ages of my kids. This book had them all thinking creatively and asking great questions, two things I really value.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would help kids to express their feelings and learn about honesty, understanding, and forgiveness.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's important to run through experiences before they happen with children as a sort of behavioral innoculation. This seems like a good guide.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic little book to help children work through so many of the issues they face and will continue to face through out life. My kids love it and I will admit I love it even more.

[Jeff Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great ethics primer for kids. It helped me teach my daughter the basics through relatable stories and thought exercies.