Chicken Soup for the Soul is an inspiring and heartwarming collection of stories, quotes, poems, lists and cartoons. The book is divided into seven sections: On Love, Learning to Love Yourself, On Parenting, On Learning, Live Your Dream, Overcoming Obstacles and Eclectic Wisdom. Each section begins with an inspirational quote. Although most of the articles are about American people and take place in the United States, the message is universal.

The print size is large and there is plenty of white space. All the stories are brief. No story is more than six pages long and most are two or less. Several students mentioned that it was the length of the stories that particularly attracted them. It meant they could complete one story or even two in a short reading or tutoring session. Some learners used the stories as a starting point for their own writing.

Several instructors read the articles to their class in order to start a discussion or to pave the way for student writing. One piece that provoked a good deal of discussion because of recent events was "Make It Come True." It talks about a young boy who manages to overcome great obstacles in order to become a famous football player. The story is about O.J. Simpson.

One instructor reported that one of her students thought this was the greatest book ever. A second instructor reported, "the book gave one woman inspiration and hope for her continued recovery. Another purchased it as a gift for a fellow student who was grieving the death of a loved one." Other students wrote that the stories were "interesting" and "touching".

I like the fact that Chicken Soup for the Soul is a book which is read by people of every level of education and is available from the neighbourhood bookstore. It is a good addition to your classroom library for independent reading, for shared reading and for the teacher to read to the class. You may also be interested in purchasing the other books in the series or the excellent CD-Rom.