Big Thoughts for Little People

By Kenneth N. Taylor

Book Overview

As millions can attest, Dr. Ken Taylor knows how to communicate God's truth to children and adults alike. For decades, his books have taught about God's love, Jesus' life, and the remarkable stories... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 084230164X
• ISBN13: 9780842301640
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
• Length: 50 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 0.5" x 10.8"
• Age Range: 3 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Terrible Lessons

"Being polite shows respect. That means you think the other person is as good as you, or even better." The quotation above should give you an idea of what to expect from this book. I was excited to read this to my 4-year-old daughter, but stopped on only the second page because of some questionable lessons. I'm so happy that I didn't finish reading it to her, because I flipped through the rest of the book and realized just how terrible and dangerous the lessons are. I will include exact quotations from the book, so you can understand why I dislike it (along with an explanation). This book teaches that kid's are responsible for the happiness of the people around them. It teaches that you should always do good things, behave well, and obey because (1): it makes everyone happy, and (2): if you don't obey or be good, you'll be punished for it. Wow. Those are terrible reasons to teach good behavior. Shouldn't we be teaching that we do good because it's the right thing to do? Or explain the harm of doing bad, and the benefit of doing good? Even very young children are capable of having these sorts of conversations, and it will actually encourage critical thought, discernment, a good decision making. But telling kids to "be good so everyone else can be happy" sounds an awful lot like raising a people-pleaser, NOT a decent person who makes good decisions because they genuinely care. Here are just some of the examples of this: "When you are nice, everyone is happy. When you do something naughty, everyone is sad." "O is for obey. When you do as your told, it makes parents glad and they won't punish or scold." "If you are punished... after they have punished you, your parents will give you a big hug... then everyone will be happy." "Who is happy when you obey?" [Question to ask your children] "Being polite makes other people feel happy." "If you don't get enough rest you will probably be unhappy. Then everyone else will be unhappy too." STOP blaming children for the emotional state of others! We are all responsible for our own emotions, not coddling other people's emotions. Teach kids to do good because it's right, NOT because they want to seek the approval and happiness or the people around them. Another note that's related to this, there is just a massive emphasis on happiness in this book. There are a half-dozen lines, like: "We will be happiest if we obey our parents." "One good thing about sharing is that an unselfish person is happier than a selfish person." Making good decisions is not about gaining happiness or who will be the most happy because of it. It's about doing the right thing, and sometimes it's not always the "happiest" decision (for us, or even other people) but it may be necessary. Another observation is that this book teaches that "behaving" means you are never allowed to argue and must always be happy (again with the happiness— ugh!): "B is for behave. It means doing what is right. Be happy and helpful. Do not argue or fight." Why is happiness being equated with good behavior again? Kids can behave well and still have real human emotions; they are not required to be happy all the time. Putting this much emphasis on constantly striving for happiness will not create a genuinely happy person, it will create a person that seems happy 24/7 but truly hides negative emotions from you because it's not safe to express them. Not what I want for my kids. And why is arguing bad, again? There is a time and place to argue appropriately. We should argue or disagree if someone is doing something wrong, or if we need to stand up for ourselves. The example this book gives, is that two girls are being bad because they're arguing over an icecream cone... "Look at the girls fighting over an icecream cone... it's going to fall to the ground... but the puppies know better... they are sharing". It's ridiculous to teach a kid that arguing is "bad". Wouldn't it be more fruitfull to discuss when it's appropriate to argu

Warning: "O" is for obey

"O's for Obey When you do as you're told, It makes parents glad; They won't spank you or scold." "God says that fathers and mothers should punish their children when they don't obey....After they have punished you, your parents will give you a big hug and tell you how much they love you. Then everyone will be happy." Also, another minor concern was "C" is for Crying C is for Crying. It hurts when you fall, But please do not cry about nothing at all. I leave it up to the reviewer to make a judgement. I wish I had known about this before purchasing.

There's a reason it's a classic!

Kenneth Taylor - well known as the author of The Living Bible, and founder of Tyndale House publishers - was a man dedicated to conveying the Christian message to children (he had 10 himself) in simple, understandable truths. Big Thoughts for Little People, a much-loved, best-selling picture book has now received fresh new illustrations while maintaining Taylor's text from the original edition. Many readers my age may be familiar with the original version of this classic title, which was wildly popular during the `80s, and be looking forward with nostalgic fondness to sharing this new release with their own children. I however, missed out on the first edition as a child, so it was with fresh eyes that my daughters and I dug into it together. My first impression was that this vibrantly illustrated hardcover filled with bright, action-filled paintings of children with simple text and discussion questions might appeal to my three-year-old, I was wrong. Every time I open its pages I'm surrounded by a flock of eager faces - 6, 3, and 1, as all of my children adore this newly revised classic. Arranged around the letters of the alphabet, each letter features a lesson relating to Christian character and moral development. A is for Asking, B is for Behave, C is for Crying and so on. Introduced by a four lines of rhyming verse: D is for doing What needs to be done. So please do it cheerfully. Then you'll have fun. At this points all parents are saying, "Huzzah!" Who can argue with reading this to their children? But, how do the children react? I was afraid that the simple, direct, and pull-no punches moral teachings might be considered boring for my little ones, but if we take it one letter at a time and allow the lessons to sink in, they eat it right up. A paragraph discussing the concept and relating it to the accompanying illustration follows the rhyme. Three brief, age-appropriate questions are then asked. At times these questions encourage children to examine and interact with the artwork ("What are some good things the children are doing? Tell about each one."). At other times the questions encourage the child to engage in personal reflection and encourage brainstorming ways to do better ("What kind of thing could you do to help someone?"). Each letter closes with a scripture verse from Taylor's own The Living Bible. At times my three-year-old needs some guidance through the more contemplative questions, my six-year-old dives right in (they actually can't wait for their turn to tackle each question), and my one-year-old slaps at the bright illustrations and tries to turn pages (I have the page tears to prove it). Who would have guessed? My children have been captivated by this seemingly simple formula that repeats throughout the book. Does it work? If taken a letter at a time and reinforced by the parent, I'm going to say yes! After reading, "C is for Crying", in which Taylor explains that crying isn't really necessary unless an injury has bee

Great for Toddlers and Preschoolers

When I first saw Big Thoughts for Little People, I have to admit, I expected a lot less. I thought it was going to only portray a word that matched each letter of the alphabet that was relevant to God and the Bible. I was excited to use it in aiding me in teaching my toddler the alphabet in a fun way while learning tidbits about the Bible. Let me tell you, I got so much more than that! It wasn't until I opened it and began reading "A" for "asking" that I realized this is a devotional! It's a wonderful devotional suited for the short attention span of toddlers and preschoolers, yet filled with spiritual truths to help them understand God and character training attributes. In addition, opposite the page of the devotional is a large picture associated with the word, and filled with pictures that begin with that letter! So after our devotional reading, we look at the picture and find all the things that begin with that letter. Each devotional contains some simple, yet important questions, and a paraphrased verse. My children love this and remind me to pull it out every morning, for chance I might forget! I really do recommend this for toddlers and preschoolers. Kenneth N. Taylor, the author of Big Thoughts for Little People was actually the founder of Tyndale House Publishers and is the best-selling author of numerous children's books, so he has other great books out there worth checking out!

great Christian foundational book for preschoolers and young school goers

'Big Thoughts for little people' is an A-Z book of Christian foundational values that you would want your child to have and elements that your child should be aware of. The late Dr. Kenneth Taylor, founder of the Tyndale House Publishers and author of this book, has identified 26 values/elements (that include behaving, singing, unselfishness and politeness) and has placed them out in alphabetical order. That's not all...under each value/element, Dr. Taylor has listed out 3 questions for a parent to ask their child, thereby encouraging the child to think and put into perspective the value/element just learnt. Each page finally ends with an easy to memorize verse from the Bible that relates to the value/element highlighted on that page. Simple but comprehensive. I think this is a great Christian foundational book for preschoolers and young school goers. The illustrator-Andrea Petrlik Huseinovic- has also taken the time to place little ladybugs on each page. As you progress through the book with your little one, 'finding the ladybugs' becomes a little game to play before the next alphabet!

Excellent! A Perfect Book!

Big Thoughts for Little People is an amazing ABC book written by Kenneth N. Taylor. Beautiful artwork dons the two-page spread for every letter of the alphabet. Each picture tells a story in itself. Each letter features a word with a short poem, followed by a discussion of the word as it pertains to children and biblical teaching while combining the elements of a seek-and-find in the pictures. This is followed by a biblical quote that children can understand. When I got this book, I wasn't sure how much my five year old, who is an advanced reader, would enjoy it since it was an ABC book. However, the stories on each page are very engaging and it is not just an ABC book at all. My 3-year old loves it as well, and it reinforces her ABC's. It has quickly become a family favorite, teaching biblical values in a way that is applicable to young people. We love reading a few pages before bedtime. If you know anyone with young children, I would highly recommend this book to help teach Christian values. I was in no way compensated for this review.

This book teaches small children about Christian Living

The book uses the alphabet to teach small children how to be good. It teaches right from wrong with fun poems, interactive pictures and descriptive paragraphs, and questions parents can ask their children