ValueTales is a series of 43 simple biographical children's books published primarily by the now-defunct Value Communications, Inc. in La Jolla, California . They were written by Dr. Spencer Johnson and Ann Donegan Johnson , and illustrated by Stephen Pileggi .
Each book gives a simplified and semi-fictionalized biography of a historical figure as an allegory , illustrating the value of a characteristic. Each volume is a white pictorial glossy hardback book around 60 pages long with a brightly colored cartoon of the figure, along with some anthropomorphic item or animal that narrates the subject's life throughout the book.
The title of each book is The Value of x: The story of y , where x is the characteristic exemplified and y is the exemplary person (i.e. The Value of Determination: The Story of Helen Keller ). Early editions of the books use a different format: The Valuetale of y: The value of x . So the first edition of the Helen Keller book is called The ValueTale of Helen Keller : the value of determination
The books were quite popular in homes, elementary school libraries, pediatrics offices, and sunday schools across North America . Most are out of print . In October 2010, Simon & Schuster Children's Books published an anthology containing five of the ValueTales books, with new illustrations by Dan Andreason.[ 1]
Books
Value
Subject
Sex
Author
Publication Date
ISBN
Notes
Adventure
Sacagawea
F
Ann Donegan Johnson
1981 February 1
0-916392-59-7
Believing in Yourself
Louis Pasteur
M
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1977 March
0-916392-06-6 0-916392-01-5
a.k.a. Believing
Boldness
Captain Cook
M
Johnson, Ann Donegan Johnson
1986 June
0-7172-8188-4
Caring
Eleanor Roosevelt
F
Ann D. Johnson, Steve Pileggi (Illustrator)
1977 July
0-916392-11-2
Charity
Paul-Emile Léger
M
Ann Donegan Johnson
1983
0-7172-1884-8
Commitment
Jacques Cousteau
M
Ann Donegan Johnson
1998
0-7172-8820-X
Compassion
Florence Nightingale
F
Ann Donegan Johnson
1987 July
0-7172-8482-4
Conviction
Cesar Chavez
M
Ann Donegan Johnson
1995
0-7172-8482-4
Courage
Jackie Robinson
M
Spencer Johnson
1977 August
0-916392-12-0
Creativity
Thomas Edison
M
Ann Donegan Johnson, Steve Pileggi (Illustrator)
1984 November
0-916392-72-4
Curiosity
Christopher Columbus
M
Spencer Johnson
1977 November
0-916392-13-9
Dedication
Albert Schweitzer
M
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1980 February
0-916392-44-9
Determination
Helen Keller
F
Ann Donegan Johnson
1977 March
0-916392-02-3 0-916392-07-4
Dignity
Arthur Ashe
M
Ann Donegan Johnson
1994
0-7172-8339-9
Discipline
Alexander Graham Bell
M
Ann D. Johnson, Steven Pileggi (Illustrator)
1985 April
0-7172-1887-2 0-7172-8176-0
a.k.a. Self-Discipline, June 1985
Facing a Challenge
Terry Fox
M
Ann Donegan Johnson
1985 November 1
0-7172-8134-5
Fairness
Nellie Bly
F
Ann Donegan Johnson
1977 December
0-916392-16-3
Fantasy
Hans Christian Andersen
M
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1980 Feb
0-916392-43-0
Foresight
Thomas Jefferson
M
Ann Donegan Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1980 February
0-916392-42-2
Friendship
Jane Addams
F
Ann Donegan Johnson, Steve Pileggi (Illustrator)
1980 February
0-916392-45-7
Giving
Beethoven
M
Ann Donegan Johnson
1979 June
0-916392-34-1
Helping
Harriet Tubman
F
Ann Donegan Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1980 February
0-916392-41-4
Honesty
Confucius
M
Steve Pileggi, Spencer, M.D. Johnson
1979 June
0-916392-36-8
Humility
Mother Teresa
F
Ann Donegan Johnson
1993
0-7172-8316-X
Humor
Will Rogers
M
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1977 March
0-916392-05-8
Imagination
Charles Dickens
M
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1977 December
0-916392-15-5
Imagination
Jim Henson
M
Ann Donegan Johnson
1992
978-0-7172-8253-1
Kindness
Elizabeth Fry
F
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1977 March
0-916392-09-0 0-916392-04-X
Laughter
Lucille Ball
F
Ann Donegan Johnson
1990 May
0-7172-8217-1
Leadership
Winston Churchill
M
Ann Donegan Johnson, Steve Pileggi (Illustrator)
1989 August
0-86679-046-2
Learning
Marie Curie
F
Spencer Johnson, Ann D. Johnson
1979 June
0-686-98175-8 0-916392-18-X
Love
Johnny Appleseed
M
Ann Donegan Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1979 June
0-916392-35-X
Optimism
Amelia Earhart
F
Ann Donegan Johnson
1997
0-7172-8780-7
Overcoming Adversity
Wilma Rudolph
F
Ann Donegan Johnson
1996
0-7172-8731-9
Patience
Wright Brothers
M
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1977 March
0-916392-08-2
Positive Attitude
Michael Landon
M
Ann Donegan Johnson
1992 January 1
0-7172-8263-5
Respect
Abraham Lincoln
M
Ann Donegan Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1977 June
0-916392-14-7
Responsibility
Ralph Bunche
M
Ann Donegan Johnson
1978 November
0-916392-29-5
Saving
Benjamin Franklin
M
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1978 August
0-916392-17-1
Sharing
Mayo Brothers
M
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1978 November
0-916392-28-7
Tenacity
Maurice Richard
M
Ann Donegan Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1984 June
978-0-7172-8143-5
Truth and Trust
Cochise
M
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi
1980 Jan
0-307-69957-9 0-916392-10-4
Understanding
Margaret Mead
F
Spencer Johnson, Steve Pileggi (Illustrator)
1979 June
0-916392-37-6
References
External links