Dear Mister Rogers, Does It Ever Rain in Your Neighborhood?: Letters to Mister Rogers

TV's incomparable but--he stoutly hopes--imitable Mister Rogers once more shares his skill at communicating to young children, this time by publishing children's letters to him, adults' letters about their children, and his responses to them. He arrays them in chapters entitled with phrases that reflect the kinds of questions ("Are you real?" "Do you have a job?" etc.) and childhood concerns ("Sometimes it's hard to behave," "My brother copies everything I do," etc.) that letter writers most often present to him. His replies are characteristically gentle and authoritative. He encourages children to speak about their feelings and what is on their minds, and he counsels parents to listen and respond truthfully and appropriately to their child's age and temperament. Quite often, he uses the lyrics of a song from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood to make his point in a manner that faithful viewers will recognize. In short, this is a book of modeling for parents, although one that carefully brings forth many adult correspondents to Mister Rogers who are as caring and warmheartedly canny with young children as he is. Ray Olson

Every question a child or parent asks is important, and no one understands this better than the television Neighbor who has visited our homes for more than two decades. In this collection of letters and replies, Mister Rogers encourages parents, grandparents, and teachers to cherish the questions and comments that come from their children. With sincerity and sensitivity, real-life issues are addressed in chapters arranged by theme - the world, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, feelings and fears, television, family relationships, and death. Based on his lifelong studies in child development, Fred Rogers offers a thoughtful perspective on childhood and parenting. Dear Mister Rogers is an inspiration to parents and educators and a delight for all those interested in the unique way children see the world and wonder about it.