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

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.

inspirational Look at an American Icon

It's unfortunate that the author felt the need to place his worldview into what is otherwise a wonderful look into the life of Fred Rogers. it it didn't distract me from the story.

Too heavy on the biography, not enough practical advice

I was very excited to read this, however I feel the author may have missed the mark despite his best intentions. The book spends far too much time coving the life story of Rodgers (about 2/3 of the book), which is unfortunate, because I think if you’re coming to this book, you already know his biography or are at least quite familiar. What is here though is good quality advice. I think the book would’ve been better suited to intermixing story elements from his life with the life advice, rather than what feels like two separate books.

All this said, if you somehow aren’t familiar with Rodger’s backstory, then this works well as a good catch all.

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.

Enjoyable and informative

I very much enjoyed this book allowing me to get to know Mr Rogers, his life story and philosophy. Well written, interesting and enjoyable book.

So inspiring

If you want to be moved and inspired, listen to this book! I am now obsessed with Mr. Rogers.

A great listen!

Loved it! Perfect narration. Inspiring! Makes one want to go the extra mile to be kind to everyone even those who are difficult.

Lovely Book

Such a heart warming book. It was interesting, funny and poignant. I cried during the parts where Mr. Roger's compassion was detailed in intimate moments that he shared with his viewers. Definitely a great book.

lovely

lovely. nice to listen to something so uplifting. Very much needed today and always

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.