This was a quick read. Pretty interesting if you're into this sort of thing but not particularly memorable.

Well thought-out response to the question, "Is your glass half-empty? Or half-full? Not a "Polly-Anna" type approach to life. And not a "Debbie Downer." Just plenty to think about. It's not the Dr. Seuss to Children's Books designed for adults, but it is worth reading.

This is a very cute and quick read. It's described as a "children's book for adults" and I think that's pretty accurate. Visually, it looks a lot lot a kid's book: bright, colorful, cheerful illustrations, lots of white space on each page, simple, short messages on each page--not too many words, large text, etc. The entire book can be read in less than five minutes. It's definitely a good examination of the old argument--is your glass half empty or half full, and an exploration of how we each look at the world. It's a "make you think" kind of book, and I think it's worth reading. There isn't any new information here; however, it's presented in the format of a child's book, which is different, and makes it digestible for some that perhaps wouldn't have considered it before. I think it might make a good gift, perhaps for a graduating student, or someone making a big change. It's very very brief, though, so consider that when evaluating a purchase.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

What a refreshing, and clear-eyed, discussion of one of the "great questions" ... actually, perhaps the greatest question... that we all deal with in our lives. This is a wonderfully illustrated little book that puts all the big issues and questions before the reader in uncomplicated, but insightful, concepts. And the author does this with sensitivity and humor. Sorting out all the issues that impact our lives to determine what approaches to take, what perspectives to hold, and what kinds of things only hinder us and make us angry or miserable, and more importantly, what things, actions, attitudes have the most potential to make us happy - or lead us down the road to a fulfilling life - is an important task for each one of us.

This book has, I think, the potential to help people crawl out of depression or anger, and even to change direction in their lives, if they read it with an open mind. Opening a mind closed by anger and frustration, or deep depression, is not an easy thing to do. But I think this is a book that could be effectively used to deal with such thorny emotions. And it's a delightful read!

Please note-this review is based on reading the book in electronic format. For books with illustrations, I still prefer paper.

This book is a short but insightful book. What I liked about the book is that it tried to strike a balance between optimism and pessimism arguing that both have their place in our world. Many books I find overly optimistic.

A simple yet insightful way of understanding life and treating others. Sometimes we focus too much on filling up our glass but like everything else in life- too much or too little is not good - and the book demonstrates this very well. It's a powerful guide to those points in our lives when we evaluate our fulfillment - and we all go through that.

I like the story... age old question, are you plus or minus. I like the message... be positive.

What I love are the illustrations.

It is a book for all ages.

The comparison is deep, yet simple. Our like is a glass where we have the power to choose what we fill it with. Now I realize sometimes, and many times bad junk jumps into our glass and we have to decide how to deal with it.

I read it about three times and believe you will as well.

It’s for all libraries and maybe even in the coffee table.

I’m so glad I requested this and Netgally kindly granted the book to me.

I was intrigued by the idea of a child’s book for adults, plus the subject matter is very relevant to my life right now. I read the book quickly the first time, then went back and read it again paying more attention to the words and not so much the illustrations. I found that there were some important points that had been hidden inside the simple presentation of the book. This is a book that should be read again and again, during the moments in life we all have where we need a bit of help. Sometimes a quick and simple affirmation that we are in control, and that bad times don’t last forever, is what the doctor ordered. The only thing I might have changed is some of,the fonts to make the words easier to read, but maybe that is a way to make you slow down and pay attention.

I’ve never read a self-help book before, but if there is ever a stage in my life where I need to, it would be now. I decided to start this self-help series after seeing the category on Netgallery and deciding that I want to explore this genre and see if anything I read in these books can really help me. I am going through a hard time at the moment, I’m leaving education for good after school, high school, college, university and postgraduate study without taking a single year away. And now I face finding a job with limited options due to having a disability. My life is going through a complete overhaul at the moment and adulthood is slamming me in the face with a spade.
I’m starting this review series off with an easy introduction into the world of self-help; a children’s book for adults on the topic of optimism and pessimism. In reality I am a bit of a pessimist, so I thought it would be interesting to start with a book that tackles that. I was taken by surprise. Considering it’s a simplified book with illustrations and fancy fonts, this book is deep. Really, really deep. There is a lot packed into it’s 48 pages.
I don’t really think that I came away from reading this with a new lease on life, and I don’t think it really gave me a way to tackle the problems I am facing at the moment. But it still made me smile, and it made me think.
A Glass Half-Empty? is full of clever metaphors to help you make sense of life and I like that the main message behind this is that having a good balance is a solid place to start. One of the metaphors that I really enjoyed was the metaphor of the crack in the glass. Sometimes risk means we loose what’s in our glass, and ignoring this risk will make things worse, but keeping our glass empty to save us from risk can be just as bad as it means we might miss out on things in life. See what I mean? this book is full of detailed pieces of wisdom that I really didn’t expect from a book that’s only 48 pages long and full of pictures.
Another message that resonated with me was the idea that no two glasses are alike; everyone has different problems, and everyone has different ways of dealing with their problems. I think some people need to realise this more and society would be a better and more understanding place for everyone then.
“Remember, whether you put it there, or someone else puts it there…your Glass is always being refilled. ” No matter what happens, what cracks you get, or if your glass gets empty. Someone or something will also be refilling it. I like that idea.
However most importantly, this book teaches that we have to be grateful for what we have in our glass, and that the empty space above the waterline should be thought of as opportunity. This is a message that I really should start living by, and maybe then I can become more of an optimist. “If you feel seasick, try keeping your eyes on the horizon” if life becomes all too complicated and too much. but if “you stay focused on the balance in your glass, you’ll be just fine”.
To answer the question at the end of the book; is my glass half-empty or half-full, at the moment I think my glass is half empty. It’s ready to be filled with opportunity though, but a little empty at the moment as I transition to leaving education and trying to work out what I want from my future. I need to start finding more balance and this book did actually give me some hope for that. It helped me to understand where I am at the moment, but also that our glasses are always changing so thinks might start to look up soon. I need to start trying to be more optimistic, grateful for what’s already in my glass and look forward to whatever is going to be added to it next.
If you are also feeling a little low at the moment, or are a self-proclaimed pessimist like myself, I’d urge you to give this book a go. There is still so much that can be unpacked from this book, and I believe it could help anyone find positivity in a whole range of different situations, and provide wisdom for a whole range of problems. And even more importantly, a donation of the proceeds from the sale of this book is being given to the Brain & Behaviour Research Foundation! Which is really cool!

This book is like a children's book that has been written for adults, but the advice is spot on! The author gives great advice. It was also nice to read that there are more options than having a glass that is half full or half empty when it comes to life!

3.5 stars!

This was a sweet book. It takes on the age old question, "is your glass half empty or half full?" What is it that your glass is full of? The author tries to answer this question in his own way. Although it wasn't new, it will still make you think. And that's always good.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley.

A Glass Half Empty? Is such an insightful read for only being a short picture book! It takes one of the most common concepts and somehow both simplifies it and makes it deeper at the same time!

I feel that A Glass Half Empty could help readers understand that there is much more to life than simply being half empty or half full and sometimes there are things you can control and other times you can''t control things.

It relays how important it is to be nice to other people and help them as it can effect your glass, being negative to people will also have negative effects for you meanwhile if you are nice someone else can benefit from it as well as yourself.

The cute pictures definitely helped, I feel this has conveyed more of a message to me than 200 pages block text ever could!

I would recommend this book to anyone who only thinks of their glass as being half empty or half full and hope it changes their minds!

*ARC received from publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Review: A Glass Half Empty? …or Half Full? by Dan Schuck

A Glass Half Empty? …or Half Full? is written by Dan Schuck. It is also illustrated beautifully.

A Glass Half Empty? …or Half Full? claims to be a children’s book for grown ups. I think it is suitable for all ages.

The title of the book uses the question: A Glass Half Empty? …or Half Full?

Life is compared to glass simply yet beautifully. Our lives are like glasses. There are some things we choose to fill in our glass. There are other things we do not choose but our glass is filled with these too. Sometimes, we add something to our glass and sometimes our glass is filled by things from others.

This book focuses on motivation and self-help.

‘Keep it balanced’ is the message of this book in my opinion.

So is your glass half empty? …or half full?

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book to me, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I think this would be a good book for the library, because I'm not sure it's the sort of book you would read more than once. I love the idea of the book, and I could see it as being a good present to encourage a friend who's down in the dumps. But it really doesn't seem like a book that you would read over and over. But, that said, it would be great in a library, where you could get the message out, but not have a book that you'll never read again taking up space in your house.

A children’s book for adults” is a good description. This was defiantly a fast read. By that I mean it took maybe three minutes to read. You could finish it in the book store.
It is a cute reflection of the old saying, “Is your glass half empty of half full.” However, there are no real insights or unique comments in this book. It is what you expect from the title. It might make a good gift or a coffee table book.

Good book. I think it is most suitable for teens. It will get them to start thinking about alternatives ways to handle a situation. How to think different from others and stand out. I would recommend this book as a gift to 13-16 age group. For adults, its probably something they have heard already. But some things are worth repeatin
I gave it 3 stars because its not really a childrens book for adults. it should be a childrens book.

Also, it did not have a kindle version. Its ok because these books are much better to have as a hard copy.

Extremely simplified but surprisingly deep for such a simple book. A fun way to show that half full and half empty are not the only two alternatives in your glass or in your life. We can all learn something from reading this, even if it's just a few new words for that empty space at the top of the glass. Room for opportunities anyone?
Really enjoyed reading this book and will definitely be getting myself a copy, maybe even some for friends and family too!

Really enjoyed this look at optimism and pessimism. Fun way for adults to look at a complicated feeling in a simplistic way. How to see the world and our reactions. Liked the Illistrations. Would recommend!

Loved the illustrations and the presentation generally. Well written and explained. I would recommend this to Young Adults as I am sure it would help put life into perspective and generate discussion with , and interest in others.
Whether your glass is half full or half empty, or you are not sure, this is a feel good book.

A surprisingly good book, with a great way of conveying some simple life lessons, that should be able to get even the most mis-maligned thinking on the straight and narrow. What goes around comes around, patch up your troubles (yet don't worry about them either too much or too little), fill your life with what makes you happy but leave a chance for climbing the next rung up the ladder – yes, the author could have used a bounty of cliches, metaphors and similes for his text, but by sticking with the glass allusion he really gets things down pat. A pleasant visual style, a gamut of fonts – the description of this as 'a children's book for grown ups' is very accurate.