A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers

by Fred Rogers, Luke Flowers (Illustrator)

Overview

The New York Times Best Seller 

For the first time ever, 75 beloved songs from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and The Children's Corner are collected in this charmingly illustrated treasury, sure to be cherished by generations of children as well as the millions of adults who grew up with Mister Rogers. 
 
It’s you I like.
It’s not the things you wear,
It’s not the way you do your hair—
But it’s you I like.
 
From funny to sweet, silly to sincere, the lyrics of Mister Rogers explore such universal topics as feelings, new siblings, everyday life, imagination, and more. Through these songs—as well as endearing puppets and honest conversations—Mister Rogers instilled in his young viewers the values of kindness, self-awareness, and self-esteem. But most of all, he taught children that they are loved, just as they are. Perfect for bedtime, sing-along, or quiet time alone, this beautiful book of meaningful poetry is for every child—including the child inside of every one of us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683691136
Publisher:	Quirk Publishing
Publication date:	03/19/2019
Series:	Mister Rogers Poetry Books , #1
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	81,443
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	550L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Fred Rogers was many things—a minister, a musician, a puppeteer, a television star, a friend to children for generations, and, most of all, a very good neighbor. For over 30 years, he created and hosted the groundbreaking educational television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which worked to instill kindness, self-esteem, and emotional intelligence in his viewers. Fred Rogers received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, among other honors.

Luke Flowers has illustrated over 42 children’s books. He enjoys puppeteering, playing banjo, and going on adventures with his wife and three kids in Colorado Springs, Colorado. You can see more of his work at lukeflowerscreative.com.

Read an Excerpt

Contents

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Mister Rogers’ Invitation
Be the Best of Whatever You Are
I Like You as You Are
I Think I’m Going to Like Today
I Give a Hoot for You
Children Can
It’s Good to Talk
Things Are Different
A Place of My Own
Smile in Your Pocket
You Are You
What Do You Do with the Mad That You Feel?
I Love to Shine
Fences
Doing Song
Les Jours de la Semaine (The Days of the Week)
Take My Time
What Can You Hear?
I’m Busy Being Busy
I Did, Too
Sometimes Isn’t Always
Everybody’s Shy Sometimes
I’d Like to Be Like Mom and Dad
You Can Never Go Down the Drain
The Clown in Me
We Are Elephants
Summer Rain
It’s an Ugly Day
I’m Glad I’m the Way I Am
Walking Giraffe
I’m Still Myself Inside
Everything Grows Together
It Hurts to Be Lonely
Are You Brave?
Parents Were Little Once, Too
Did You Know?
It’s You I Like
What Do You Think Is Important?
Many Ways to Say I Love You
Please Don’t Think It’s Funny
Let’s Be Together Today
You’re Growing
Some Things I Don’t Understand
When a Baby Comes
The King and the Ocean
Sometimes I Wonder If I’m a Mistake
A Bird-Watching Song
You Are Special
Creation Duet
Who Shall I Be Today?
Good People Sometimes Do Bad Things
You’re Much More
I Need You
I’m Interested in Things
I Like to Be Told
I Hope It Will Rain
A Lonely Kind of Thing
Sometimes People Are Good
I’m Tame
Then Your Heart Is Full of Love
The Truth Will Make Me Free
Wishes Don’t Make Things Come True
You’ve Got to Do It
You’re the Only One
It’s the People You Like the Most
Love Is People
You’re Special
Find a Star
A Smile’s the Style
This Is Just the Day
Perfect Day
I’m Proud of You
Tomorrow
It’s Such a Good Feeling

Editorial Reviews

01/07/2019

Delivering on the page the same reassurance they originally imparted on the TV screen, these 75 uplifting songs elucidate the late Fred Rogers’s legacy of positivity and compassion. Through recurring themes considered from various angles, the author empathically validates children’s changeable emotions, urging them to articulate their feelings and to realize they are not alone. The verse is never repetitive, however. Rogers puts different spins on the importance of looking beyond appearances, for example, in the whimsical “Things Are Different” (“When I put on a costume/ To play a fancy part/ That costume changes just my looks./ It doesn’t change my heart”) and in the more direct “It’s You I Like” (“It’s you I like./ It’s not the things you wear/ It’s not the way you do your hair/ But it’s you I like”). Tackling childhood head-on yet gently, these poems embody Rogers’s signature message: “You’re a beautiful, marvelous, spirited, lovely,/ Wonderful one of a kind!” His on-point vocabulary, cadence, and rhyming, in concert with the universal childhood experiences the poems address, give this compilation broad accessibility and appeal. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 6–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

A Parents' Choice Gold Award winner
A 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards Winner
A Red Tricycle Best Kids Book of 2019

“This treasure trove of gentle wisdom and playful fun, complemented by the sunny charm of Luke Flowers' illustrations...speak[s] directly to children about communicating, recognizing and dealing with emotions, and self-acceptance.”—Parents' Choice Foundation

“Earnest messages, lighthearted flights of fancy, and familiar phrases [are] found in the poems gathered here…[and] Flowers’ illustrations are energetic.”—Kirkus Reviews 

“Perfect for bedtime, sing-along, or quiet time alone, this beautifully presented volume of meaningful, inspiring, entertaining poetry is nicely illustrated by Luke Flowers, making it unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library poetry collections for children ages 6-8.”—Children's Bookwatch

“The collection is the perfect read for young kids as well as the millions of adults who grew up watching Mister Rogers on TV.”—Paste Magazine

“The poems in this fun collection range from silly to sensitive, uplifting to energizing, always keeping kids' feelings center stage.”—Common Sense Media 

“A heartfelt and indeed beautiful collection for both older fans and a new generation to share.”—Booklist

“Now we can remember the charm and love presented by this cherished personality with a collection of 75 of his songs presented as poetry in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers.”—Florida Times Union Jacksonville 

“Illustrator Luke Flowers' vivid, cheerful pictures enhance this collection of songs presented as poetry. It is sure to convey to children that they are loved and treasured.”—The Banner

 “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood will make everybody happy.”—The Bookworm Sez 

“This gorgeous book is like mainlining nostalgia for a more carefree time.”—The Roar Bots

“This lovely book shares 75 of his delightful songs, all illustrated with familiar characters and settings that will bring joy to those who remember the happy times they spent in his neighborhood.”—Story Monsters Ink

“Mister Rogers will remind you what it means to be an educator, and what it means to be a person in this world.”—EdSurge

From the Publisher

Narrators John Lithgow and Kate Mulgrew alternately share poems and songs created by Fred Rogers for his long-standing television show. Rogers’s messages affirm children and give voice to the myriad feelings, good and bad, that all people feel from time to time. Wonder, joy, questions, exploration, outsides and insides, a new baby, one-of-a-kindness, needs emotional and material are examples of the breadth of Rogers’s words. Lithgow’s voice has its own richness, reminiscent of Rogers’s own. His tone is firm and straightforward. When his voice expresses the anger of a poem, for example, he soon becomes calm as the anger fades. Kate Mulgrew is equally genuine and sets a pace for children’s consideration of each message. A.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MAY 2019 - AudioFile

Narrators John Lithgow and Kate Mulgrew alternately share poems and songs created by Fred Rogers for his long-standing television show. Rogers’s messages affirm children and give voice to the myriad feelings, good and bad, that all people feel from time to time. Wonder, joy, questions, exploration, outsides and insides, a new baby, one-of-a-kindness, needs emotional and material are examples of the breadth of Rogers’s words. Lithgow’s voice has its own richness, reminiscent of Rogers’s own. His tone is firm and straightforward. When his voice expresses the anger of a poem, for example, he soon becomes calm as the anger fades. Kate Mulgrew is equally genuine and sets a pace for children’s consideration of each message. A.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MAY 2019 - AudioFile