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Eutopia: The Discovery
Eutopia,(which means the perfect place as oppose to Utopia which means a perfection beyond attainment) is a fantasy fiction story of two boys who stumble across another world named Eutopia. As they arrive in this land, they come to realize that it has been destroyed by vice and greed. The boys must practice their virtues in order to awaken the guardians of Eutopia and restore this once perfect place. Through reading this series, children will feel empowered and see that they can make a positive difference in the world through practicing virtues.
Eutopia is the first tool of Think Virtues, a comprehensive program aiming to assist parents and educators in teaching children moral character. A bridge between a chapter and picture book, Eutopia engages, entertains and empowers children while teaching them the value of virtues such as compassion, helpfulness, empathy and love.
Eutopia is the first tool of Think Virtues, a comprehensive program aiming to assist parents and educators in teaching children moral character. A bridge between a chapter and picture book, Eutopia engages, entertains and empowers children while teaching them the value of virtues such as compassion, helpfulness, empathy and love.
121 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Kathy Motlagh
18 books4 followersKathy Motlagh is the writer and creative force behind the Eutopia book series and products, and managing director of Think Virtues. Motlagh, a graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, has taught art at the Montessori School of North Hoffman for the past twelve years and been an active board member of the school since its inception twenty years ago.
Motlagh’s business experience includes eighteen years in the mortgage banking industry, where she has been featured in business publications as one of the top female financiers in the country. A recipient of many business awards and accolades, she has helped over two thousand families realize their home buying dreams.
Motlagh resides in Chicago and involves her family, including her six and seven-year-old sons, in community service and fund raising activities for many non-profit organizations and causes.
Motlagh’s business experience includes eighteen years in the mortgage banking industry, where she has been featured in business publications as one of the top female financiers in the country. A recipient of many business awards and accolades, she has helped over two thousand families realize their home buying dreams.
Motlagh resides in Chicago and involves her family, including her six and seven-year-old sons, in community service and fund raising activities for many non-profit organizations and causes.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 1, 2024
The idea of teaching children the different virtues and encouraging them is not a new one. However, finding something that will capture the attention of a child these days which portrays those virtues in a positive manner can be a chore.
Eutopia, The Discovery is a book that seeks to use story telling to engage, entertain and empower children while teaching them the value of virtues such as compassion, helpfulness, empathy and love.
I thought it was a cute story overall. The boys were less enamored with it, but mostly due to their enjoying books like The Hobbit and thinking something with illustrations is too young for them. I’d definitely say this book is part way between a chapter book and picture book.
One feature I did really like was the short section at the end which lists all the virtues mentioned in this title with longer descriptions of the virtue and specific examples from the story to reinforce them. This format is beneficial whether it is used in a home or school environment.
I will caution Christian readers that the fantastical world the boys find themselves in contain fairy like creatures that each are a guardian of a specific virtue. Our family has not had any issues with some fantastical creatures, but I do like to mention it for those who do avoid them.
Eutopia, The Discovery is a book that seeks to use story telling to engage, entertain and empower children while teaching them the value of virtues such as compassion, helpfulness, empathy and love.
I thought it was a cute story overall. The boys were less enamored with it, but mostly due to their enjoying books like The Hobbit and thinking something with illustrations is too young for them. I’d definitely say this book is part way between a chapter book and picture book.
One feature I did really like was the short section at the end which lists all the virtues mentioned in this title with longer descriptions of the virtue and specific examples from the story to reinforce them. This format is beneficial whether it is used in a home or school environment.
I will caution Christian readers that the fantastical world the boys find themselves in contain fairy like creatures that each are a guardian of a specific virtue. Our family has not had any issues with some fantastical creatures, but I do like to mention it for those who do avoid them.
June 23, 2012
Description:
Kyle and Kameron are playing in the snow when all of a sudden they fall into a strange portal and discover another world - Eutopia. The new land is barren and colorless, most of its residents asleep and unknowing of the changes, but a few guardians remain conscious. These guardians must teach Kyle and Kameron how to practice their virtues and awaken the ones that can restore Eutopia. Unfortunately, the creatures of planet Vice destroyed the perfect world once, and will not think twice about doing it again. Can the brothers help mend Eutopia and restore its virtues? Or will the Viceans return to finish what they started?
Review:
Eutopia: The Discovery is a discovery indeed. Every primary school should be teaching these virtues and values to children, because they are emotional/physical skills that stay with us for life - Hope, Peace, Enthusiasm, Cleanliness, Honesty, Forgiveness, Love, Grace, Courtesy, Helpfulness, Empathy, and Humility. When I was in school we were taught this stuff, but nowadays even my nieces and nephews do not understand some of these concepts. It is a shame that educational systems are focusing so much on "higher-level" learning that they are forgetting the basics - life skills. Kathy Motlagh has written an immensely entertaining, yet educational, children's fantasy that I would call a mix between a picture book and an early chapter book. At 124 pages, it is a good length for children in third to seventh grade depending on the child's reading level; every couple of pages there is a beautiful illustration by Rich Greiwe, ranging from monochromatic to a rainbow of colors following the books progression. I was surprised how effortlessly the text and illustrations meshed with one another, bringing the story to such a peak, however, I did not like the abruptness of the ending. Kids are notoriously impatient, (maybe educators should be teaching that in schools too), so I cannot see a ~nine year old waiting for the continuation/completion of the series without complaint. The characters and dialogue are more developed than in books for younger kids, but even a five or six year old would enjoy having this book read to them. Overall, a wonderful resource for children and educators. I will be passing this book along to a few teachers I know, and I highly recommend it for kids seven to twelve. I'm 24 and I cannot wait for book two!
Visit the Think Virtues Website for more info!
Rating: On the Run (4.5/5)
*** I received this book from the author (Bostick Communications) in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Kyle and Kameron are playing in the snow when all of a sudden they fall into a strange portal and discover another world - Eutopia. The new land is barren and colorless, most of its residents asleep and unknowing of the changes, but a few guardians remain conscious. These guardians must teach Kyle and Kameron how to practice their virtues and awaken the ones that can restore Eutopia. Unfortunately, the creatures of planet Vice destroyed the perfect world once, and will not think twice about doing it again. Can the brothers help mend Eutopia and restore its virtues? Or will the Viceans return to finish what they started?
Review:
Eutopia: The Discovery is a discovery indeed. Every primary school should be teaching these virtues and values to children, because they are emotional/physical skills that stay with us for life - Hope, Peace, Enthusiasm, Cleanliness, Honesty, Forgiveness, Love, Grace, Courtesy, Helpfulness, Empathy, and Humility. When I was in school we were taught this stuff, but nowadays even my nieces and nephews do not understand some of these concepts. It is a shame that educational systems are focusing so much on "higher-level" learning that they are forgetting the basics - life skills. Kathy Motlagh has written an immensely entertaining, yet educational, children's fantasy that I would call a mix between a picture book and an early chapter book. At 124 pages, it is a good length for children in third to seventh grade depending on the child's reading level; every couple of pages there is a beautiful illustration by Rich Greiwe, ranging from monochromatic to a rainbow of colors following the books progression. I was surprised how effortlessly the text and illustrations meshed with one another, bringing the story to such a peak, however, I did not like the abruptness of the ending. Kids are notoriously impatient, (maybe educators should be teaching that in schools too), so I cannot see a ~nine year old waiting for the continuation/completion of the series without complaint. The characters and dialogue are more developed than in books for younger kids, but even a five or six year old would enjoy having this book read to them. Overall, a wonderful resource for children and educators. I will be passing this book along to a few teachers I know, and I highly recommend it for kids seven to twelve. I'm 24 and I cannot wait for book two!
Visit the Think Virtues Website for more info!
Rating: On the Run (4.5/5)
*** I received this book from the author (Bostick Communications) in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
March 23, 2013
The ever more prevalent disclaimer applies: I received this book in a GoodReads drawing. Along those lines, I signed up for this drawing for the purposes of getting a book for the kids that we could all read and discuss.
Eutopia is a morality tale, designed to teach children basic virtues. As always it's tough to strike a balance between teaching and entertaining and this example of the genre misses the mark in several ways.
Firstly, I can't seem to put my finger what age group this book is supposed to target. The format strikes me as appropriate for a younger child. Kids over 10 (at least in this household) just ignored it as a "kids book" and would have naught to do with it. In delving into the text though the content and style was more appropriate for an older child. I think as far as audience goes this book falls into a no-man's land. Illustrative to my point is the reaction of my 7-year-old. She read the book and all I could get out of her was, and I quote, "They went to another planet." Any allegorical aspects of the book are lost on her. Any child old enough to actually get anything out of it is put off by the format and the primitive illustrations and likely to refuse to read it.
More specifically on the text, the whole thing seemed rather rushed. The author has a good concept but you can sense a lot from the distribution of illustrations. The first third boasts one illustration on every other page. The middle third is devoid of art until the artist seems to rather guiltily start drawing again near the end. We're also rushed through the story as the protagonists seem to achieve their goals with only trivial effort. Apparently persistence is not one of the virtues to be taught in this volume.
On the positive side, I like what the author's trying to do here. Lessons in morality are important ones so any attempt to set that in the context of something kids actually want to read is a grand one. However, this book just goes about it far too obviously. A dose of subtlety and patience with the storyline would improve the product vastly. I could imagine a whole series of books along this line, colorfully illustrated, patiently constructed with an evolving story line. I'm rather reminded of trying to give your dog a pill. If there's too much pill and not enough meat then the dog will simply spit out the medicine. The problem with Eutopia is that the audience who will actually read it is likely to read the book but miss the pill.
Eutopia is a morality tale, designed to teach children basic virtues. As always it's tough to strike a balance between teaching and entertaining and this example of the genre misses the mark in several ways.
Firstly, I can't seem to put my finger what age group this book is supposed to target. The format strikes me as appropriate for a younger child. Kids over 10 (at least in this household) just ignored it as a "kids book" and would have naught to do with it. In delving into the text though the content and style was more appropriate for an older child. I think as far as audience goes this book falls into a no-man's land. Illustrative to my point is the reaction of my 7-year-old. She read the book and all I could get out of her was, and I quote, "They went to another planet." Any allegorical aspects of the book are lost on her. Any child old enough to actually get anything out of it is put off by the format and the primitive illustrations and likely to refuse to read it.
More specifically on the text, the whole thing seemed rather rushed. The author has a good concept but you can sense a lot from the distribution of illustrations. The first third boasts one illustration on every other page. The middle third is devoid of art until the artist seems to rather guiltily start drawing again near the end. We're also rushed through the story as the protagonists seem to achieve their goals with only trivial effort. Apparently persistence is not one of the virtues to be taught in this volume.
On the positive side, I like what the author's trying to do here. Lessons in morality are important ones so any attempt to set that in the context of something kids actually want to read is a grand one. However, this book just goes about it far too obviously. A dose of subtlety and patience with the storyline would improve the product vastly. I could imagine a whole series of books along this line, colorfully illustrated, patiently constructed with an evolving story line. I'm rather reminded of trying to give your dog a pill. If there's too much pill and not enough meat then the dog will simply spit out the medicine. The problem with Eutopia is that the audience who will actually read it is likely to read the book but miss the pill.
May 10, 2012
This is one of those rare gems that come around every once in a while. Every parent and teacher should have a copy of this book in his or her home or classroom.
When Kyle and Kamron fall through a hole into another world they not only find an adventure, but also learn about the virtues. The world has been destroyed by vice and greed. The boys with the help of their cousin must find the virtue stones to re-awaken the creatures associated with the virtues. To find the stones they must practice the virtues. As they find each stone the world begins to get back its beauty.
This wasn’t just a beautifully written and illustrated book. From a teacher’s perspective it was a wonderful book to have on my shelves. It started conversations with my sixth graders who didn’t know what virtues were. It seems they are no longer taught in elementary schools and many parents don’t teach them either.
Check out the Think Virtues website for Virtue Question Cards and more information
When Kyle and Kamron fall through a hole into another world they not only find an adventure, but also learn about the virtues. The world has been destroyed by vice and greed. The boys with the help of their cousin must find the virtue stones to re-awaken the creatures associated with the virtues. To find the stones they must practice the virtues. As they find each stone the world begins to get back its beauty.
This wasn’t just a beautifully written and illustrated book. From a teacher’s perspective it was a wonderful book to have on my shelves. It started conversations with my sixth graders who didn’t know what virtues were. It seems they are no longer taught in elementary schools and many parents don’t teach them either.
Check out the Think Virtues website for Virtue Question Cards and more information
November 8, 2012
Its the lovely beginning to a new series teaching morals, values and virtues. Eutopia is a place of enrichment, knowledge and personal growth. It is a lovely heaven like place however it has been turned into a wasteland and 3 children (Kameron, Kyle and Lily) must practice each of the 300 virtues in order to return Eutopia to its state of grandeur. Kameron, Kyle and Lily set about practicing the virtues in order to find the guardians of the virtues and rejuvenating Eutopia to its lovely and peaceful state. The only real problem that I had with the book is that once I became enthralled in the story, I had reached the end of the book and found "to be continued" so alas I must wait to see if the children are successful in their journey. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads
October 17, 2012
I received this book for free through a goodreads contest. I thought this book was a very interesting way to teach children virtues and loved the descriptions of each virtue in the back of the book. The illustrations were unique and I loved the way that the color was gradually added as children restored the virtues. This book is too long for a one classroom lesson, but could definately be used as a read a loud over several class periods or as a book for an individual child to read that may be struggling with virtues or to just teach them to your own children. This book is also great for teaching new vocabulary and about unique colors and stones.
October 11, 2012
I love the name of this book first off and then when I won it in a giveaway from goodreads and firstreads I was thrilled. I was not disappointed in reading it and absolutely love the concept of the story and the characters, I thought were very fun while teaching a very important lesson to be absorbed in the minds of our kids. I am excited to own this book and to be able to share it with my sons kindergarten class. I think the cover could use some animation, but the story was wonderful. I rate Eutopia 5 stars easily, and would definitely be recommending to many parents for their kids.
May 29, 2012
My 7 year old loved this book! He keeps asking for the second book.
October 16, 2012
This book is about the different virtues, faith, hope, charity etc. For children this book can help explain what the virtues mean. I won this book on Goodreads First Reads.
February 11, 2013
Odd book with a deeper meaning. Takes several reads to understand
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews