Fans of Auggie Pullman's story in Wonder will remember his fifth-grade English teacher, Mr. Browne, and the memorable precepts he imparted as he encouraged his students to write. Here he shares wonderful "words to live by" as a thought for each day, all year long, with an essay to introduce each month's bounty.
Mr. Browne opens with the story of how he began to collecting precepts. In college, he discovered a 17th-century man-of-all-trades with the same name, Sir Thomas Browne, who wrote: "We carry within us the wonders we seek around us" (this also doubles as the January 1 entry). Browne placed this quote above his desk and carried it in his wallet as he traveled with the Peace Corps, and his wife framed it as a wedding gift when they married. Mr. Browne passes on his passion to his students in Wonder and again in these pages. From age-old adages to smart sayings from students (Palacio selected 365 of 1,200 precepts submitted by children all over the world), Mr. Browne's collection will get students thinking. His opening essays often use personal anecdotes by way of instruction, such as the story (for April) of his three-year-old son's resistance to vegetables (the doctor tells him, "He can't eat them if they're not even on his plate"). The February essay takes on an uncharacteristically teacherly tone that's less effective, but this book, overall, will be welcomed by Wonder fans and attract new ones.
This collection of inspirations would also make an ideal gift for homeroom teachers (and English teachers, of course). --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness