Ten to fifteen years ago, I really enjoyed reading Robert Fulghum’s books – you probably know him best as the author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.My favorite book of his is one that was published a few years later, called From Beginning to End:: The Rituals of Our Lives.(It unfortunately appears to be out of publication, but fortunately, there’s a thriving market for used books these days.)

Amazon sent me an email about Robert Fulghum’s new book, Third Wish.I eagerly clicked over to read the summary, and was surprised – shocked, even – to discover that it’s a novel. And not just any novel, but one with music composed especially for it, and apparently with a unique (or contrived, depending on the reviewer) writing style.

I like Fulghum’s philosophy and perspective. I love that he seems to truly care about being a good person. But I’m not so sure this novel is worth reading. So has anyone read it, and if so, what did you think?

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The Dangerous Book for Boys is apparently a huge seller in Great Britain, though I hadn’t heard of it until reading an article that said the book is as politically incorrect and fun as it gets for boys. Activities include how to tie different knots, make a periscope, and oh yeah, hunt, kill, skin and cook a rabbit. The book also includes stories about heroes, battles, astronomy and other topics. The general gist of the book seems to be that boys should be allowed, even encouraged, to do those activities that boys have done throughout the ages.

It might be politically incorrect to say that we should raise our boys differently from girls. But ever since Alex started selecting his own toys (construction vehicles) and expressing his own interests (garbage trucks), I’ve been convinced that, generally speaking, boys and girls naturally gravitate toward different toys and activities. And I don’t believe in fighting those tendencies but in using them to teach my children the important values in life. So I’m looking forward to using this book or something similar with Alex and Tyler some day – this particular one is for kids in grades 4 through 8, and at least in England, there are now a bunch of knockoffs.