BELIEVE IN THE WORLD: WISDOM FOR GROWN-UPS FROM CHILDREN’S BOOKS, by Amy Gash, Elise Howard, Eleanor Davis, Algonquin Books, Aug. 20, 2024, Hardcover, $25 (young adult/ new adult/ adult)
Believe In the World: Wisdom for Grown-Ups from Children’s Books is an illustrated collection of quotes from favorite children’s books.
Everything we need to know as adults can be found in the brilliant, imaginative, diverse world of children’s books. That is the simple yet powerful promise that Believe In the World offers. This illustrated, gifty collection, with witty and inspirational quotations organized in chapters such as “How to Believe in the World” and “How to Have Fun in the World,” reminds us not to lose sight of the values we learned as kids—to be courageous, to do good deeds, to respect our imaginations, and maybe even to break a few rules every once in a while. Some quotations will bring readers back to old favorites like The Little Prince or Ramona Forever while others will lead to new discoveries inspired by the exciting new variety of children’s books being published today. And all provide a roadmap to doing and being good in the world. —Synopsis provided by Algonquin Books
Believe In the World is one of those “gift books” that I can see people buying multiple copies of for friends and family. And while its subtitle is “wisdom for grown-ups” I can see teens falling in love, too. In fact, my 10-year-old has seen the book, and has started making her own compilation.
The book is divided into five sections: How to Be Good in the World; How to Be Joyful in the World; How to Be Strong in the World; How to Be at Home in the World; and How to Believe in the World. Each of those sections covers between five and seven topics that fit with the theme like kindness, acceptance, courage, confidence and forgiveness.
Believe in the World is a lovely book to flip through on a whim or when looking for some clarity on a certain topic. It would make an excellent gift heading into the latter part of the year.
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