Unselfie Why empathetic kids succeed in our all-about-me world

*Starred Review* Education expert Borba has noted a troubling trend among young people: a lack of empathy, leading to increases in aggression and bullying, higher anxiety levels, and self-centered rather than community-centered ways of thinking. Her practical solution, which she calls the empathy advantage, helps combat these issues. Drawn from years of research and observation, Borba presents a nine-step plan intended to help children and teens develop the essential skill of empathy. Each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of empathy, and Borba presents case studies, practical steps parents and educators can take to instill the value of empathy in children, and specific strategies and activities that can be used for preschoolers, school-age children, and tweens and teens. Though Borba's suggestions are supported by research, the presentation is anecdotal and readable rather than academic, and the empathy-building activities are generally simple, fun for children, and easy to implement into daily life. Shelves' worth of books have been published over the years highlighting what characteristics children need to succeed, but Borba builds an excellent case for empathy, and parents concerned with the trend toward self-absorption and bullying among young people will find useful tips to counteract the negative messages children are hearing.--Donohue, Nanette Copyright 2016 Booklist

Parenting expert Borba (Building Moral Intelligence) traveled the world and researched for decades before writing this fresh and powerful primer on raising caring kids. The book came into focus, she explains, while she was visiting the Cambodian killing fields outside Phnom Penh. Her resultant goal-find out what causes inhumanity and how to stop it-led her to visit Dachau, Auschwitz, and Rwanda, as well as school classrooms. By consulting current research, she discovered that a strong sense of empathy is not only a moral imperative, but also an advantage in attaining health, happiness, and career success. In separate chapters, Borba presents nine essential empathetic skills: emotional literacy, moral identity, perspective talking, moral imagination, self-regulation, practicing kindness, collaboration, moral courage, and compassionate leadership abilities. In each section, she provides a wealth of exercises, activities, and age-by-age strategies to help parents nurture empathy-a trait, she stresses, that is not innate but can be taught and developed. With narcissism and self-absorption on the rise in our digital age, she argues, this trait is in danger. Her thought- provoking and practical book may very well tip over the parenting priority applecart-and rightly so. Agent: Joëlle Delbourgo, Joëlle Delbourgo Associates. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.