Kindness and Wonder

September 30, 2019
Edwards (The Tao of Bill Murray) affectionately captures the spirit of Fred Rogers (1928–2003) in a crisply told biography that focuses on the enduring lessons Rogers shared with his viewers. For more than 30 years beginning in 1951, Mister Rogers walked through his front door, put on his tennis shoes and cardigan sweater, and sang “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Growing up near Pittsburgh with doting parents, Rogers thrived in a loving and encouraging family, especially his grandfather, who spoke the words that shaped Rogers: “There’s just one person in this whole world just like you—and I like you just the way you are.” Edwards traces Rogers from his days at Rollins College in Florida, where he met his future wife, Joanne Byrd, through his earliest forays into television in New York City, to his development of the characters for his show and his advocacy for quality children’s programming. Edwards also pulls examples from Rogers and his show that teach lessons on how to live more like Rogers right now, such as being kind to strangers, telling the truth, and “always seeing the best in people.” Edwards’s enthusiastic prose vibrantly captures Rogers’s spirit and wisdom.

October 11, 2019

Edwards (The Tao of Bill Murray; The World According to Tom Hanks), a childhood fan of the award-winning Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, grew to appreciate the TV show's messages of kindness, sensitivity, and integrity. Here, he shares host Fred Rogers's absorbing life story, achievements, and focus on music, education, and theology and explores how and why Rogers developed the show during television's emerging decades. With a memorable cast of puppets, trips to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, celebrity guests, and everyday visitors, Rogers made his young viewers feel special. This engaging, perceptive narrative examines the show, its popularity, its long-term cultural impact, and the criticisms it received when it was broadcast. Edwards also offers ten ways anyone can use Rogers's guiding principles, among them telling the truth, seeing the best in others, and being kind to strangers, as well as touching examples of how Rogers exemplified these ideals. Whimsical line drawings and a list of further reading enhance the text. VERDICT All readers will find inspiration in this uplifting book, particularly in today's complex world. Pair with Maxwell King's The Good Neighbor for a multifaceted look at an innovator of children's television. [See Prepub Alert, 4/8/19.]--Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ

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