All I Really Need to Know I Learned in KindergartenAll I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Score Classic
What it's about
Robert Fulghum, a minister, teacher and painter, wrote a credo that began with the idea that the basics of how to live were learned in kindergarten: share everything, play fair, clean up your own mess, say sorry when you hurt someone. That essay and others, about ordinary moments, neighbors, spiders and laundry, make up this collection.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 34 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It's gentle, funny and wise, the kind of book people give as a gift.
You'll love it if you liked
Gift From the Sea
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Tuesdays with MorrieGood to know
The essays are very short. It's warm rather than deep.
By the numbers
- Readers45 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller57 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
If you like this, read next
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Color Purple
1984
The Lord of the Rings
A Brief History of TimeExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten worth reading?
Yes. It spent 34 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #1,533 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten about?
Robert Fulghum, a minister, teacher and painter, wrote a credo that began with the idea that the basics of how to live were learned in kindergarten: share everything, play fair, clean up your own mess, say sorry when you hurt someone. That essay and others, about ordinary moments, neighbors, spiders and laundry, make up this collection.
How long does it take to read All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten?
About 5 hours (196 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten?
If you liked it, try Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom or Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.