The Important Book

If you are a Margaret Wise Brown fan this book is a definite for your collection. If you are new to her works this is still a book worth owning and one that your three to five year old would want you to read again and again. The drawings by Leonard Wisegard are a big part of the charm.

I read this book to my students and then used the predictable format to create a class book highlighting the important thing about each student. The students seemed to enjoy the story quite a bit.

I really like this book, and my little boy does too. It is an excellent introduction to metaphysics for toddlers. It inspires tots to think about what is important, distinctive, or essential about different things. As a philosopher, I was amazed to find a book that actually tried to teach that--and appeared to do so as well as other books teach things like colors, numbers, and letters.

We read this book every once in a while, and we think of something new each time.

It's not that we necessarily agree that the only important thing about an apple is its roundness, nor that the only important thing about the sky is its color, it's that we use these statements as a way to jumpstart conversations.

We read, then we ask - do you think that? If yes, then why? If no, then why not, what *is* the most important thing? Why do you think she thinks this is important? When something doesn't match her description, is it no longer the sky, no longer an apple, no longer a shoe? Why or why not?

Any book can ultimately be used to start a conversation, but we happen to find that this book is particularly good for it - even after several readings.

A simple book about what is important about things such as grass, rain, a spoon etc. It is a super writing prompt to have children write about what is important about themselves.