Authorlink Chat: How Mister Rogers Inspired Kids

Authors Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski know there’s more to Mister Rogers than his trademark cardigan sweaters in the old Mister Rogers TV series.  He knew how to connect with kids. The authors capture his invaluable lessons for parents and teachers in their new book, When You Wonder, You’re Learning, Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious Caring Kids. Authorlink’s Doris Booth goes behind the scenes with Ryan Rydzewski for a deeper look.

To the authors, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood isn’t just a children’s program — it’s a proven blueprint for meeting the moment. As young people grapple with issues of mental health, learning loss, the effects of social media, and near-constant reminders that the world isn’t always kind, parents and teachers can find guidance in a familiar figure.

Just when America needs him most, Mister Rogers is back, showing us how to keep curiosity alive, how to nurture creativity, and how to raise kids who care about others.

In their acclaimed book, Gregg and Ryan reveal a never-before-seen side of Fred Rogers: the ingenious scientist and legendary teacher who was decades ahead of his time. They explain how Fred engineered every aspect of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to help kids develop the “tools for learning” — the skills and mindsets now deemed essential for school, work, and life.

These tools have been shown to boost academic performance, social-emotional wellbeing, and even physical health. They cost almost nothing to develop, and they’re up to ten times more predictive of children’s success than test scores.

Gregg and Ryan share insights and practical advice from thinkers, scientists, and teachers, many of whom worked with Fred himself. To thrive in the age of the algorithm, kids and their families will have to excel at what Fred taught best: being human.

Gregg and Ryan’s book When You Wonder, You’re Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids — has been called “a gift for all in the neighborhood” by Tom Hanks. Academy-award-winning actress Goldie Hawn who has founded MindUP said “Fred Rogers taught that we each have something unique – a kind of inner music that only we can make. In this book, Behr and Rydzewski do for readers what Fred Rogers did in the Neighborhood: use brain science to help all of us become the best of whoever we are.”