Growing Compassionate Kids: Helping Kids See Beyond Their Backyard

Growing Compassionate Kids features practical everyday ways for parents to help their children care about people in need. Jan Johnson, a well-known author who deals with Christian spirituality, helps parents learn to incorporate social outreach and mission into the often-hectic everyday realities of family life.Questions for reflection plus personal and family devotions are included in each chapter. More than half the book is devoted to concrete ideas such as listening to the news with children in a new way, overcoming stereotypes, volunteering as a family, seeking out cross-cultural experiences, and linking up with a child in another nation. An excellent resources section lists organizations and events as well as print, video, and Web sites where parents can gather more ideas.Johnson’s treatment is inspiring and grounded in spiritual commitment. Her writing is also tempered by a realistic knowledge of kids’ attention spans and interests. As a parent, Johnson has done many of these ideas with her children. Her writing style is down-to-earth, and she is passionately committed to helping parents push beyond expected routines.