Connected Wisdom: Living Stories about Living Systems

by Linda Booth Sweeney

Connected Living Stories About Living Systems gathers twelve stories from different cultures that each reveal a unique example of a "living system." Through them, Linda Booth Sweeney shows that what we now call systems thinking has been around for a very long time. A Balinese folktale tells the story of a gecko who cannot sleep because of the sparks from a firefly. He traces the cause of his complaint from one animal to another to the mosquitoes he depends on for his survival. Like this gecko, young readers will understand that all life is inter-related, and will be able to grasp the concept of the living system of "interdependence." In a Burmese folktale, a king spills a drop of honey on his windowsill, too little to bother cleaning up. Yet the drop draws a fly, which attracts a lizard, which is followed by a cat, then a dog, and the owners of the cat and the dog, each armed with a stick. When civil war erupts, the king and readers understand the living system of "linearity," in which an effect is disproportionate to its cause. Clear and simple notes accompany these and the other stories in Connected Wisdom . Says Sweeney, "If kids understand living systems, they're more likely to think and act in informed ways and less likely to jump to blame a single cause for the challenges they encounter. As kids appreciate and learn about living systems, they see that connections in nature, people, problems and events bind us all." Connected Wisdom is a large-format, full-color volume that is as suitable for gift-giving as it is for classrooms and libraries.

Genres: Education

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Sharon Royle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book!!!!! The author explains the 12 living systems that make up our natural world. Each of these systems such as biodiversity are explained through beautiful visual language, beautiful pictures, and folk tales. I presented this book to a group and they were fascinated especially with the folk tales.

An easy way to learn so much about natural science!

[Daniel Aguilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a tour around systems theory (specially, but not limited to, living systems) in a friendly and easy-to-grasp manner. Each chapter covers a different concept with a folk tale (tales are from different places and cultures, from Aesop's fables to Sufi tales, to eastern truisms), and provides a simple explanation as a summary. At the end of the book there are three appendices as a synthetic wrap-up, tying together the different concepts exposed through the book and providing extensive references to other books and resources.

I specially enjoyed the tales, since they are easy to remember and make some difficult or counter-intuitive ideas easier to get. I'll be reading them to my kids before bed time :)

[Gail Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great reminder of how we best learn - through stories and metaphors. A fun book for adults and young children

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please see my review at http://soulkissed2003.gather.com. Here is the direct link to this specific review: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.act... Hope you enjoy it!

[Yoosong · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful folktales about ecosystem and relationship between us and the environment.