The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King

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The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King



                What memories do I have of Fred Rogers? I remember his show and I remember puppets but I don’t remember much of the man. Regardless I was intrigued by this biography and the concept of learning more about this man, whose songs I remember but whose life I do not. I feel like everyone remembers the man in the cardigan but no one knew him. After reading this book I feel like I know him and more than that, I miss him. I wish that I had incorporated him into my child’s life at a young age. I wish I could remember the lessons he taught and the make belief neighborhood he created.
                King does an amazing job letting readers into the life of a man who cherished children and was so invested in their education. From his family, to his upbringing, to his passions and drives this book puts everything together and really emphasizes the things that made Fred Rogers the man he was. I would have never even considered the amount of work that went into his show. The thoughts, the care, the consideration, the consultation. Every single bit of these shows was extremely geared towards the thought processes of children. The way the people that were apart of Rogers’s life talk about him and his work ethic is so loving and just genuine. Rogers could be difficult to work with but that wasn’t because of himself, it was because he was desperate to educate children and for him it had to be right.
                Fred Rogers worked in children’s television for decades with the most memorable show being “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” There were moments while reading this book when I would look for clips of his show. Times when I would just want to hear him sing the opening song or hear him speak. I would sit back and imagine what the world would be like if we still had a man like Rogers’s behind the screen talking straight to children and relating with parents. I highly recommend this book. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. It is well written, informative and emotional. I’m walking away from this missing a man I have never met and yet feeling joy about the work that he has done. He was such a good neighbor.  

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