Gregg Behr - When You Wonder, Youre Learning: Mister Rogers Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids

In this book, Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski have accomplished an amazing feat: they have sequenced the human creative genome. They reveal how the DNA strands of curiosity, communication, and collaboration were interwoven in the miracle of Mister Rogers Neighborhood. And how parents and educators can transmit this DNA from themselves to children who will become loving parents, confident professionals, and caring citizens. At this point in our nationsindeed, the worldshistory, there is nothing more important.

Dr. Milton Chen, executive director emeritus, George Lucas Educational Foundation

Recent films, biographies, and tributes have attempted to capture the kindness and genius of Fred Rogers. When You Wonder, Youre Learning is a beautiful complement to all that has been written, as it looks beyond the man to peel back the curtain and reveal the science used by Fred, and others who have followed, to inspire the development of caring and empathetic children into whose hands our future rests. I cannot imagine a more important time for a book such as this.

Paula Kerger, president and CEO, PBS

When You Wonder, Youre Learning is a compelling, beautifully written call for seeing, supporting, and loving the individual complexities of every human being, whether theyre kids or adults, our own children or a neighbors. Living up to the kindness and humanity that Fred Rogers embodied will never be easy, but with this essential bookfull of fascinating science and moving scenes from Mister Rogers NeighborhoodBehr and Rydzewski have given us the tools.

Dr. Todd Rose, former director of the Mind, Brain, and Education program at Harvard University and bestselling author of The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness

Building on the legacy of an incomparable humanist, Pittsburghs Mister Rogers, When You Wonder, Youre Learning will inform you, inspire you, change how you engage with children, and flat out make you a better person. Its a brilliant, stirring exposition on the vital role of humanism in educating our children, and it strikes at issues near and dear to any teacher, parent, or policymaker. I loved every word of it.

Ted Dintersmith, education philanthropist and author of What School Could Be: Insights and Inspiration from Teachers Across America

Im so grateful to Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski. When You Wonder, Youre Learning brings me back to the days of sitting with Fred in his office, bowled over by the depth of his philosophy, and inspired by his urgent and radical message of love. Here are two authors who get it, who have the courage to try to explain it, who demonstrate their mastery of Freds message in the craftsmanship of the work itself. Beautifully constructed, full of deeply researched and well-earned wisdom, When You Wonder, Youre Learning is a dazzling accomplishment that offers a much-needed wake-up call about the enduring strength of the human spirit.

Jeanne Marie Laskas, New York Times bestselling author of Concussion and To Obama: With Love, Joy, Anger, and Hope

The enduring legacy of Fred Rogers is based on a couple of things. One, of course, is his role as the greatest American exemplar of the deep, fundamental human values by which most people aspire to live. But the other reason is the extraordinary importance of Rogers as a teacher and his approach to learning. He understood that through their curiosity and sense of wonder, children offer the purest expression of the joy of learning. And so he focused not on facts and numbers, but on the natural, joyful instinct of children to inquire and to learn. When You Wonder, Youre Learning is a timely and powerful exploration of Rogers approach and will quickly become an important instrument for advancing learning and Freds legacy. Its authors, Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski, have brought Fred Rogers the educator to life. We are indebted to them for adding this book to the body of Freds teachings.

Maxwell King, senior fellow at the Fred Rogers Center and New York Times bestselling author of The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

When You Wonder, Youre Learning is a timely gem for anyone who supports the development of children of all ages. It is at once practical yet aspirational, affirming yet instructive. Chock-full of research and anecdotes, it reminds us that the uniquely human traits of curiosity, creativity, kindness, and generosity are not only essential but attainable for fulfilling work and life. The exquisite weaving in of the stories of Mister Rogers Neighborhood will conjure a powerful memory of Mister Rogers calm affirmation, I like you just the way you are. I am in love with this book and cant wait to give it to parents and teachers in my life!

Karen Cator, former CEO, Digital Promise

Just when parents and educators need him most, When You Wonder, Youre Learning revives Fred Rogers. It reminds us that children thrive on love, curiosity, and a can-do attitude. Through artful prose that weaves together humanity, love, science, and history, Behr and Rydzewski navigate us beyond the loneliness, fear, and digitalization of our current world, inviting us back to the hopeful simplicity of the Neighborhood. A must-read for anyone who cares about children.

Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, professor at Temple University and coauthor of