Kindness and Wonder

Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

By: Gavin Edwards

Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

A pop culture celebration of Fred Rogers and the enduring legacy of his beloved, award-winning PBS show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood that offers essential wisdom to help us in our troubled times.

Won’t you be my neighbor?

For more than 30 years, Fred Rogers was a beloved fixture in American homes. Warm and welcoming, he spoke directly to children - and their parents - about the marvels of the world, the things that worried them, and above all, the importance of being themselves. Dressed in his cardigan and sneakers, Fred Rogers offered a wholesome message of generosity and love that changed the landscape of television and shaped a generation of children. Kindness and Wonder pays tribute to this cultural icon: the unique, gentle man who embodied the best of what we could be. Today’s audiences will be reminded of Mr. Rogers’ uplifting persona in the upcoming TriStar Pictures film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (November 2019), where Tom Hanks stars as the real-life Fred Rogers.

Looking back at the history of the show and the creative visionary behind it, pop culture aficionado Gavin Edwards reminds us of the indelible lessons and insights that Mister Rogers conveyed - what it means to be a good person, to be openhearted, to be thoughtful, to be curious, to be compassionate - and why they matter. Beautifully crafted, infused with Mister Rogers’ gentle spirit, and featuring dozens of interviews with people whose lives were touched by Fred Rogers - ranging from Rita Moreno to NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann - Kindness and Wonder is a love letter to this unforgettable cultural hero and role model and the beautiful neighborhood he created.

©2019 Gavin Edwards (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

I agree

What the world needs now is definitely a lot more of Fred Rogers. This book is excellent

Good read

I enjoyed every minute of it, wish it had been just a little bit longer

A Charming Retelling

I started listening to this title because I was feeling pretty crummy about things featured on the news and I needed to be able to believe things could be better. And it seemed like a book about a man like Mister Rogers was exactly what I might be looking for. And for the most part, it was.

It surprises me just how many books there are about Mister Rogers. Then again, he literally helped touched the lives of so many children across his lifetime that I guess that makes him a very popular subject for study. This is my first effort to dive into his life and I can't speak to how this book compares to other tellings of his life.

It could be argued that almost any effort to summarize his life and try to understand him maybe result in a good story because Fred Rogers is a uniquely amazing individual. But I will say this was a good story and one that I enjoyed a lot. And given I came to this book looking for something to help fill a bit of an emptiness I was feeling, this nicely hit the spot and left me feeling a lot better.

insightful

very much a good peek into Fred Rogers mindset and his career highs and lows

A wonderful story about a wonderful man

An interesting book about Fred Rogers and his legacy. If you like (love Fred Rogers) it offers a little insight into how Fred Rogers and “Mister Rogers” came to be.

Uplifting

I planned on only listening to the first half, the biography, but finished the entire audiobook. I’m glad I did! The entirety was uplifting and a reminder that, even as adults, we can all be a member of the neighborhood of Mr Rogers.

Touches your heart

Mister Rogers was 143 and helped me grow as a child to a man! Hope to strive the meet is laugh the Heights

Look for the Helpers

I loved this book. I grew up watching Mister R. This book shares quite a few facts and stories that I had never heard. This book should be required reading for every human on the planet. We could all use a reminder of how we can be kinder humans in this world.

I highly recommend this book. The stories will touch you and have you considering your impact on others in this world.

Terrific

Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was my favorite children’s television show for my children. It was a calming presence amongst all the fast paced children’s shows. Thank you for bringing him back in my life. We need him now more than ever.

Just What I Needed

While some of the elements of this book have been presented recently in other books and also the film with Tom Hanks, they all bear repeating. This book has been a little salve on my soul in this time of quarantine/stay home/pandemic, as I try to encourage my children (ages 12 & 14) to do their distance learning assignments in this weird world while I sew more masks or scrub caps to send off to people I may never have met (and cook or bake with my kiddos, to nourish our bodies and spirits). There is value in the repetition, as well as in remembering to approach all tasks and people with Kindness and Wonder.