Some of My Best Friends Are Books
 Judith Wynn Halsted
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 2002 Great Potential Press, Inc
  ISBN: 0910707510


Guiding Gifted Readers from Preschool to High School. A Guide for Parents, Teachers, Librarians, & Counselors.

I was lucky enough to come up long before televisions & computers, during a time when reading books was the major form of entertainment. For many years of my own children's growth, I did not subscribe to any tv programing, in part because I couldn't afford cable, in part because I know how addictive it is. I wanted to give my kids a fighting chance at learning to learn.

So when I was approached to review Some of My Best Friends Are Books, I anticipated an absorbing read. I have not been disappointed.

Books are wonderful bridges for communication about feelings, values, & decisions. Books can save lives by allowing Readers a way to use their minds in a safe, broadening & nurturing way.

Literacy doesn't simply mean being able to scribble signatures, read shopping lists & understand highway signs, it also means being able to read fluently, engaging the mind in an adventure of self-discovery. Packed into our brains, from conception on, is a universe of experiences, learning to read gives that universe language.

Some of My Best Friends Are Books is a superb guide on how to set your children on their road to a lifelong passion. It comes in three parts:

Part I is all about The Children --
Chapter 1 explains their Emotional Development in Establishing an Identity; Being Alone; Relationships with Others; Using Abilities; How Books Can Help, & References.

Chapter 2 explains The Mind of the Child, their Intellectual Development; The Need for Intellectual Development; The Child in Charge; Obstacles in the Way; The Importance of Parents; How Books Can Help, & References.

Part II is The Process --
Chapter 3 describes the Fundamentals of Reading Guidance; Reading Patterns; Special Characteristics of Gifted Readers; Reading Aloud; Avid Readers and Resistant Readers.

Chapter 4 is the Emotional Development through Books with a Bibliography & the Logistics of Organizing Discussion Groups at School & at Home.

Chapter 5 explains the Intellectual Development through Books explaining What Books Can Do for Intellectual Development; What Schools Are Doing with Books and Reading; A Primer for Parents; Reading Programs for Gifted Students; Discussing Books at School & at Home; Using the Library.

Part III is The Books --
Chapter 6 -- Choosing Books that Challenge -- Books for Older Children; Suggested Book Lists.

Chapter 7 describes All The Wealth: Children's Literature -- Fiction; Nonfiction; Biography; Traditional Literature; Fantasy and Science Fiction; Poetry; Books about Children's Literature; Reference Books about Children's Literature.

Chapter 8 is a magnificent Annotated Bibliography.

There are three Indices for Categories, Authors & Titles.

Everything you want to know about what the ability to read can do for your children's minds, when it can do it & how you can help train & encourage a lifelong love of reading.

In this world of instant messages, sound-bytes & 10 minute attention spans, we all know what we're up against when we start to turn our children on to the power of reading. Some of My Best Friends Are Books is a superb reference book, not only for book titles, it also offers us insights, reasons & solutions for the process.

Just remember to add Reading Time to your schedule & enlist your local librarians in your search for your children's best friends.

www.giftedbooks.com
(12/22/02)

Rebecca