The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories

Bennett has collected here a multitude of different tales, myths, stories, essays, poems, plays, and speeches, each bringing to life the virtue that its particular section bears.

Though a bit right-wing conservative Christian at times, this collection does a good job of presenting material from both the secular and the nonsecular world, allowing for most any reader to enjoy the stories of virtue.

The stories presented here are usually edited, adapted, or translated in a way to make it interesting to children and make it "family friendly" to boot.

Recommended for people sharing the same politico-religious views of Bennett, and quite possibly those looking for an anthology of virtuous tales to offset the more pessimistic literature flooding show more the market. Not recommended for those who _enjoy_ said pessimistic literature. show less

Responsibility. Courage. Compassion. Honesty. Friendship. Persistence. Faith. Everyone recognizes these traits as essentials of good character. In order for our children to develop such traits, we have to offer them examples of good and bad, right and wrong. And the best places to find them are in great works of literature and exemplary stories from history.

William J. Bennett has collected hundreds of stories in "The Book of Virtues", an instructive and inspiring anthology that will help children understand and develop character -- and help adults teach them. From the Bible to American history, from Greek mythology to English poetry, from fairy tales to modern fiction, these stories are a rich mine of moral literacy, a reliable moral show more reference point that will help anchor our children and ourselves in our culture, our history, and our traditions -- the sources of the ideals by which we wish to live our lives. Complete with instructive introductions and notes, "The Book of Virtues" is a book the whole family can read and enjoy -- and learn from -- together. show less

I rolled my eyes at the beginning because there was so. much. poetry.
But, by the end, I was loving the poetry more than the poor, mutilated stories.
I feel like it is an average collection of above-par works (or sections of works). So the rating might not be accurate. But I couldn't rate those letters from Lincoln less than a 4.

William Bennett succeeds gloriously in achieving what he set out to do: "aid the time-honored task of the moral education of the young." How delightful to be let into the inside story of his wife's influence on the project and their road-testing the selections with their own sons. The labor involved in selecting and discarding an untold number of possibilities is not small task. Thank you Mr. Bennett for reacquainting me with some old friends and introducing me to new ones. I would love to see more works like this from well-read collectors of stories reflecting other cultures and societies.

Stumbled across this book one day while volunteering at the library. I’ve dipped in and out of it, reading old favorites, items that caught my attention, and pieces I’ve somehow missed in my lifetime of reading. And, of course, I skipped a lot. Interesting concept for a book — an anthology for all ages organized into sections devoted to a specific virtue.

(6 hours) I bought the cassett version at a thrift store and it was the edited version. This book was extremely enteraining. Bennett wants to communicate the value of positive character traits from real people or famous tales. He includes character trait examples from an assortment of writings which spans everyone from Asoep to Babe Ruth. This book is a rich mine of moral literacy which will encourage and inspire anyone no matter what faith you adherre to. I now want the full version. The variety of narrators adds to the colorful readings.

Some great stuff in this collection of stories, poems and dissertations. The book is quite American in places, which while not necessarily bad, does have a certain distance to it. Stories of the Revolution, the Alamo and the Civil War have more relevance to Americans than Canadians. Still a great book to study.