Mr. Browne is a teacher. He thought that one way to help his students was to write what he calls precepts; phrases from authors that clearly express an idea. At the end of each month, he asks his students to do an essay glossing that idea and what they think is appropriate. At the end of the first course, he gave his students his address; he asked them to send him a resolution that had served them during that course. To his surprise, he received letters from all his students. The following year he repeated this with the same result. Over the years, he has accumulated many dozens of precepts. Some of them are collected in the book. Many are lapidary phrases of famous authors, others seem to be phrases elaborated by his students. Both modes add value. It helps to think that a teacher does something similar: he sows seeds in his professional life and does not know which ones bear fruit.
The book is arranged by months, starting with January, and this allows the author, together with valuable reflections, to put some order in the precepts she indicates. The author had previously published August's Lesson, and the action is set in the same school, which has zero tolerance for bullying. The students are eleven years old.