Wise Guy: The Life and Philosophy of Socrates

by M.D. Usher

Book Overview

Greek philosophy for kids "I know that I know nothing." With this classic statement, uttered over two thousand years ago, Socrates set the standard for the future of Western philosophy. By day, he soaked up the sun in the Athenian marketplace, where he'd converse for hours on end about the meaning of wisdom, right and wrong, courage, justice, and love. By night, he feasted and danced with friends. He was charming, but not handsome, happy, but not...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374312494
• ISBN13: 9780374312497
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.2" x 11.4"
• Age Range: 8 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 8

Customer Reviews

Fundamental Socrates for Children

Excellent overview of who Socrates was, his life, and his way of thinking. I have read this to my two sons (5/9) and they both enjoyed it (text and artwork). Socrates is at the foundation of western thinking and philosophy.

Great Classical Homeschool Resource!

Homeschoolers will want WISE GUY on their bookshelf. Our family loved it and it was a great introduction to Socrates for our 9 and 12 year old. Younger children will enjoy the great illustrations and gentle story about Socrates while older students, adults included, will learn more historical information about ancient times. Usher and Bramhall combined these elements creatively and made a great family book to re-visit as the family grows. A great find for our homeschool!

Excellent picture book

I love this book! Having studied philosophy in college, I wanted to introduce my children to the subject. (Aristotle himself said that all philosophy begins with a child-like sense of wonder.) The author, a philosophy professor, does a marvelous job of presenting not only Socrates' life and times but also his philosophical ideas in a simple, straightforward way. My small children (one a beginning reader) had no trouble at all following the basic storyline, and my husband and I learned a lot we didn't know from the commentary that accompanies each page. Socrates was a rationalist, but what I especially like about this book is that we get to see Socrates' mystical or spiritual side, which is presented in a lighthearted, yet serious way. The best part about this book, however, are the artful illustrations. Some scenes are whimsical (like the picture of Socrates dancing), others touching (especially the pages dealing with Socrates' trial and death). I've looked at this book two or three times since I bought it and I expect it will get many more readings over the years.

Engaging Wisdom and Kids

With "Wise guy" Professor Usher and artist Bramhall have brilliantly captured the ancient sage, Socrates, growing from childhood through adulthood always asking those simple questions that through the ages have always had hard answers. These are questions that each person must grapple with. The clever text and extraordinary illustrations comfortably link the reader to the person, Socrates, and ancient Greece. The sidebar text on each page provides more depth that enables an advanced young reader or an adult to probe more deeply into the ideas and concepts presented. This is a must-have book for kids with an inquisitive mind. Bravo to Usher and Bramhall for their engaging book. Let's have more!

For kids from 1 to 92

"Wise Guy" is possibly one of the cleverest children's books I have ever come across. Although the main text is ostensibly targeted at "juveniles," the delightful illustrations will nevertheless appeal to the youngest kiddies in the crowd (my 4-year-old was ROFL at Socrates' antics), while the sidebar commentary offers adult-level background info on the thinking, history, and legend behind Socrates and ancient Greece. The storyline itself is captivating, and the end of the book deftly ties in the impact of Socrates' legacy on our modern world, linking the ancient "Wise Guy" to later Wise Guys (including Gandhi, Hannah Arendt, and MLK)-a gentle and good-natured debunking of scoffers who would dismiss Socrates as just another Dead White Male. The author, a university professor, does his own homework too: the end pages provide handy sections entitled "The Ancient Sources" and "Further Reading," which will surely be useful for those whose interest in the classics is piqued by this marvelous book. Let us hope for many additional works in this vein by the duo of Usher and Bramhall.