Latest Book Reviews

Reviews for 12/04/08

 

 

The Moon Shines Down, Margaret Wise Brown

 

 

Forgotten for decades in a dusty, tucked-away trunk, The Moon Shines Down brings to life once more the unmistakable voice of Margaret Wise Brown. This soon-to-be classic allows a whole new generation of children to discover, cherish, and enjoy the artistry of this beloved author.

Never before published, The Moon Shines Down on children all over the world from right next door to across the sea, from where "a Dutch boy dreams" and "cowbells ring" to "across the sea in the Far, Far East", through the familiar prayer:

I see the Moon

And the Moon sees me.

God bless the Moon,

And God bless me.

Publishers Weekly

 

"Completed" by Thomas Nelson publisher Laura Minchew, this unfinished manuscript by the author of Goodnight Moon takes as its inspiration the nursery rhyme/child's prayer "I See the Moon." The result lacks the clean simplicity of image and rhythm of Brown's best work. Unexceptionalverses describe how the moon shines on different countries and children ("I see the Moon and the Moon sees me,/ And the Moon sees the Dutch boy/ Far over the sea") and how God blesses them all ("And God bless the little French children-oui, oui, oui, oui!"). A couple of verses about Christmas and the Christ Child, meanwhile, don't fit the context of a world tour. Bleck's playful paintings are a literal bright spot, with nearly every scene featuring a yellow full moon amid a purple-blue nighttime sky. She casts a koala bear as the narrator (which creates some continuity problems when the text touches down in Australia, but is otherwise fun). Happy children and sometimes smiling animals cavort around iconic symbols of the visited countries-windmills, Eiffel Tower, thatch roof cottage-lending a peaceful mood to the proceedings. Ages 3-8. (Nov.)

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Biography

What child hasn’t been lulled to sleep -- or at least comforted -- by the gentle rhymes of Margaret Wise Brown’s classic Goodnight Moon? Brown, a former teacher, believed that very young children could be fascinated in the simple pleasures of the world around them, and created some of the most enduring and beloved children’s books of all time.

 

 

Please Understand Me II, David Keirsey

 

For the past twenty years Keirsey has continued to investigate personality differences — to refine his theory of the four temperaments and to define the facets of character that distinguish one from another. His findings form the basis of Please Understand Me II, an updated and greatly expanded edition of the book, far more comprehensive and coherent than the original, and yet with much of the same easy accessibility. One major addition is Keirsey's view of how the temperaments differ in the intelligent roles they are most likely to develop. Each of us, he says, has four kinds of intelligence — tactical, logistical, diplomatic, strategic — though one of the four interests us far more than the others, and thus gets far more practice than the rest. Like four suits in a hand of cards, we each have a long suit and a short suit in what interests us and what we do well, and fortunate indeed are those whose work matches their skills. As in the original book, Please Understand Me II begins with The Keirsey Temperament Sorter, the most used personality inventory in the world. But also included is The Keirsey Four-Types Sorter, a new short questionnaire that identifies one's basic temperament and then ranks one's second, third, and fourth choices. Share this new sorter with friends and family, and get set for a lively and fascinating discussion of personal styles.

 
 
 

Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types (Paperback)

by David Keirsey (Author), Marilyn Bates (Author)
 
Does your spouse's need to alphabetically organize books on the shelves puzzle you? Do your boss's tsunami-like moods leave you exasperated? Do your child's constant questions make you batty? If you've ever wanted to change your mate, your coworkers, or a family member, then "Put down your chisel," advise David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates in this book of personality types. We are different for a reason, and that reason is probably more good than bad. Keirsey and Bates believe that not only is it impossible to truly change others (which they call embarking on a "Pygmalion project"), it's much more important to understand and affirm differences. Sounds easier than it is, you might say. Well, this book is a guide for putting an end to the Pygmalion projects in your life and starting on the path to acceptance.

For anyone acquainted with the ubiquitous Myers-Briggs personality test, Please Understand Me will be familiar territory--but gone over with a fine-toothed comb. And for the uninitiated, this book will be a quick introduction to personality typing the Myers-Briggs way--with a Jungian accent. After presenting a brief rundown of 20th-century psychology movements, Keirsey and Bates encourage you to take the 70-question "Keirsey Temperament Sorter," a sort of mini-Myers-Briggs test that places you in 1 of 16 personality types. Like the Myers-Briggs system, this test sorts your personality into groups of extraversion/introversion (E/I), sensation/intuition (S/N), thinking/feeling (T/F), and perceiving/judging (P/J). Unlike the Myers-Briggs system, Please Understand Me also presents four easy-to-remember temperament types--Dionysian (freedom first), Epimethean (wants to be useful), Promethean (desires power), and Apollonian (searches for self)--that underlie the 16 possible personalities identified by the test. The book then delves into a detailed analysis of each type, with sections on mates, children, and leaders. An appendix paints portraits of the 16 possible personality types.

Unless you're already a true personality-typing devotee, this book may seem a little esoteric, especially the somewhat "in" references to psychological theory that few laypeople will be likely to understand. But give it a chance and you may find that you'll begin to understand why you always know where to find Anna Karenina on the shelf (you have an ESTJ husband), why your boss is sarcastic one day and praises your achievements the next (she's an NF), and why knowing the reason that the sun comes up in the same place every day is important to your little one (he's Promethean). You may even find that once you accept quirks and ticks in others, they will understand you a little better, too. --Stefanie Durbin