Nice, basic introduction to the life of Confucius, who lived about 2,500 years ago. Some of his sayings are shown on the inside covers of the book. (Confucius is the Latin name the Jesuits gave to Kongfuzi, or Master Kong.)
He had ideas about how government should work, but could not find anyone in China willing to implement them. ("What is the purpose of government? It is to promote the welfare and happiness of the people --- all the people." [p.15]) He did succeed in introducing civil service exams for aspiring government officials. And his ideas about rulers requiring "the consent of the governed"---Thomas Jefferson's words in the Declaration of Independence---influenced people in Europe and America when the Jesuit missionaries in the 16th century translated Confucius's sayings into The Analects of Confucius.
When asked for a "single word to guide a person's entire life ... Confucius replied, 'Perhaps it is shu,' a word that means 'compassion,' 'open-heartedness,' or 'caring for others.' Then he went on to explain: 'Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself.' Five centuries later, Jesus taught the Golden Rule with similar words: 'In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you.'" [p. 30] But of course, these two Golden Rules are not the same. ( )

Lovely illustrations enliven this brief but well annotated biography of Confucius. ( )

This book tells the story of Confucius from the time that people started recognizing him as a wise man to the legacy that he left after his death. The book is split up into different sections that are about a page long. Wonderful explanations are offered for understanding complicated philosophies.
This is a great historical book because it tells of things that happened in the past and focuses on one specific person.
Media: mixed media
Age Range: Upper elementary ( )

This is the story is about the life and history of Confucius. The tale covers his lifespan, his beliefs and teachings.

This book on Confucius was also a good introduction to his life like the book on Socrates but this book is shorter than and not as detailed as Socrates’. This mostly seems due to the audience this books panders to which is a little younger than the other one. The book gives a lot of his analects as the story progresses through his life. I read this book mostly to get an introduction to him and his analects so I could use the information in a civics or law studies class like for Socrates. The book tells a good chronological account of his life. The book gives a lot of quotes and reflections by his pupils on the man’s actions through his life. What is interesting is that both of them lived around the same time and both were very similar and somewhat different. I think this book and the one on Socrates would be a great addition to classes on government. ( )