The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett

When I began to homeschool twenty years ago, character building was my main goal. One of the things I learned in going to support group meetings and home schooling conventions was that the books my children read were one of the main things that was going to make or break them in this area, and I determined to make sure everything they read would help build their character.

I also knew that I didn’t want my children to slave over textbooks overmuch. I wanted them to get most of their history, science and character building by reading nonfiction, fiction, biographies, interesting magazines, and anything else I could find along this line.

In my search, I found “The Book of Virtues” by William J. Bennett. Billed as a “Treasury of Great Moral Stories”, this book has been a mainstay at our house for many years. As we did our school lessons each day, I ended it by reading a story or two from this book. This was the highlight of the school day, and the children could hardly wait to finish their lessons so we could read.


This large book is divided into ten sections:
(1)Self-Discipline (2) Compassion (3) Responsibility (4) Friendship (5) Work (6) Courage (7) Perseverance (8) Honesty (9) Loyalty (10) Faith

I had one son in particular who was profoundly affected by the stories in this book, and he was sometimes brought to tears as he listened to the trials and triumphs the people in these stories went through. Another son kept a copy of this book in his room for a long time, and I would often find him reading it on his own. He would take it on trips to keep him occupied during the long driving times.

As I read it to smaller children, I sometimes have to skip over the more complicated stories, but even so, there are plenty of stories in this book that even my five year olds love.

In the introduction of this book, it says: “This book is intended to aid in the time-honored task of the moral education of the young. Moral education – the training of heart and mind toward the good – involves many things. It involves rules and precepts – the dos and don’ts of life with others – as well as explicit instruction, exhortation, and training. Moral education must provide training in good habits. Aristotle wrote that good habits formed at youth make all the difference. And moral education must affirm the central importance of moral example.”

This book can be one of the most valuable books in your home school library. You will enjoy reading it to your children, and it will enrich your own mind as well as theirs.