Introduction
Education
General
Learning Difficulties
Reading
Syndromes
Survival Guides
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Appendix
All of Now What?! in PDF format
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Homogenised & Webinated by
Sheldon Q. Bartleby, Esq.

Help! Now What?! by Robyn Wilson
INFORMATION AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES OF NEW ZEALAND
FOR PARENTS OF GIFTED CHILDREN.

Reading

Adams, P. &. Ryan., H. Eds. (2002). Learning to Read in Aotearoa New Zealand: Collaboration Between Early Childhood Educators, Families and Schools. Dunmore Press Ltd, Palmerston North NZ. 350pgs. ISBN 086-469-402-4.
Learning to Read in Aotearoa New Zealand describes itself as a collaboration between early childhood educators, families and schools. Editors Paul Adams and Heather Ryan have brought together a raft of well known and influential New Zealand professionals to discuss reading; how it is taught, why failure occurs, and the importance of parental help. The text’s main focus is the relationship between how parents encourage reading, practice in early childhood centres and in our schooling system. This is rather a weighty text full of current theory and practice in New Zealand, ideal for the parent who might be a trained teacher wanting to get to grips with the issue of reading to give their child/ren every chance of success in the future. Also this book may aid parents who wish to understand literacy issues in our schools and where literacy education is heading in the future.

Split into four parts, this book has an introduction to each section, explains the aims of each chapter and links it to previous sections. An overarching conclusion is also provided. Occasional boxed diagrams combined with bullet-points and italics give some interest and flow to this text. Full bibliographic details and index are provided. A section listing each author gives brief professional autobiographies and is useful in locating the authors’ professional interests, capabilities and viewpoints.

Halsted, J. W. (1988). Guiding Gifted Readers: From Preschool to High School (1st ed.): Ohio Psychology Publishing Company, Ohio, U.S.A. 306pgs. ISBN 091-070-711-1.
Halsted postulates her theory that books, combined with knowledge regarding gifted children along with carefully selected children's literature can be used to help children build coping skills and develop as gifted people. Divided into four parts, this text leads parents and teachers through Halsted’s ideas on how to choose appropriate books for the gifted child from pre-school/ kindergarten to high school level. Part One discusses emotional and intellectual developmental needs of gifted children, and explains the categories of the annotated bibliography. Part Two discusses reading patterns, enhancing emotional development through bibliotherapy and ideas of children as independent seekers of information. Part Three describes the criteria for selection of texts and a brief discussion of children’s literature.

Chapter Eight consists of an annotated bibliography of over one hundred and sixty books with particular attention given to intellectual and emotional development of gifted youth for parents and teachers of gifted children to utilise in guiding children’s reading. Each annotation gives the author, title, and illustrator, publisher details, and a brief outline of the story and ideas of which type of child it would suit. Also included are ideas on how to discuss effectively issues within the text. Subject and Author indexes are provided. Judith Wynn Halstead works jointly as the director of Halsted Academic Advisors in Michigan, U.S.A. and as an independent educational consultant

Leonhardt, M. (1995). Parents Who Love Reading and Kids Who Don't: How It Happens and What You Can Do About It: Crown Trade Paperbacks, New York, U.S.A. 258pgs. ISBN 051-788-222-1.
Mary Leonhardt’s aim in writing this book is to encourage children to love reading with help from their parents. Leonhardt coaches parents on how to develop strategies to create avid readers. Chapters discuss issues such as why your child hates reading, what to do about it, and a game plan. Chapter Five includes seven reading stages children go through to be active readers, which parents could well find to be fascinating and practical reading. Ideas regarding setting up a reading-friendly house are discussed, as are issues surrounding television and reading. How to choose a reading friendly school leads onto a discussion regarding common school problems and how to help the poor reader to cope in school. Pages 53-57 will set parents’ minds at rest who have an issue with children reading trashy novels or literature, thinking it will ultimately affect their behaviours. Leonhardt puts forward a theory that ADD children are assumed to be incapable of becoming good readers because they cannot concentrate, therefore no one bothers to encourage them to try. She has proven that reading actually develops the ability to concentrate and feels it is an important avenue to try.

Font is of good readable size and bold subject headings enable the reader to quickly locate relevant information. An index provided. A list of reading suggestions on pages 165-246 gives ideas on worthy reading material for ages eight to high school students, all of which Leonhardt states have been recommended to her by students, niece’s nephews, her own children or other young friends. Books are listed by author within categories; comics, magazines, pre-high school readers, growing up books, historical/ political , mystery and horror, war and espionage, science fiction and fantasy, non-fiction and finally classics. Bibliographic detail to the brief annotations is not supplied.

Currently a high school teacher in Massachusetts, this inspiring and practical teacher of English shares her knowledge of how to inspire children to read. Mary Leonhardt received a M.A. in English from Brown University and a degree in learning disabilities from Old Dominion University. U.S.A.

Linksman, R. (1998). You Can Be a Great Reader: Improving Skills and Developing a Lifetime Love of Books: Citadel Press Book, Carol Publishing Group, Secaucus, N.J., U.S.A. 344pgs. ISBN 080-652-009-4.
Written in a simple step-by-step style, this book sets out to teach parents how to help children with difficulties in reading. The text is split into two sections. Progressing through the book, it starts with a balanced approach to making great readers. Differences in learning styles are explained to parents. Linksman also discusses problems arising from learning difficulties and the link between self-esteem and success at school. Section Two focuses on exactly how you can help your child, the skills needed to diagnose your child’s reading style, vocabulary, comprehension abilities and how to accelerate them to a level commensurate with the child’s mental development. Strategies for independent reading and reading for pleasure are also examined. An easy writing style combined with practical fun examples makes this an easily accessible book for parents to teach the joy of reading for learning or pleasure.

Bold print with underlined headings, check lists, short word lists add visual yet practical interest to the flow of this book. Occasional sections explaining scientific details, for example how the brain works or brain function in A.D.D. sufferers, are included within chapters in a lighter font of the same size, as are many practical examples of children’s behaviours. Included in this text are guides to vowels and consonants set in parts a-r. These guides give the fine detail of word makeup, useful for the very dedicated parent or as a teacher’s guide. While noting the absence of bibliographic detail and a further reading guide, it is noted that an index is provided. Ricki Linksman, M.Ed., is Director of the National Reading Diagnostics Institute in Illinois, U.S.A. Linksman has written at least ten other books on the subject of reading and regularly convenes seminars on improving children's reading skills for parents and teachers.

Maloney, J. (2002). Boys and Books: Building a Culture of Books Around Boys (2nd edition ed.): ABC Books, Sydney, Australia. 236pgs. ISBN 073-331-156-3.
James Maloney believes boys struggle with literacy because they are not raised in a culture of reading. Split into three parts, this text initially concentrates on why boys need books and why they don't read. Part Two focuses on developmental stages of reading from birth to the teenage years. Stage Three aims to reach out to boys by discussing reading material available for them, a note to fathers, and a note to mothers with no male role model in the house. Written in an easily readable style Maloney gives a good mixture of theory and practical advice for helping boys to read. He advocates that improving boys reading will not work overnight; rather an improvement in many areas will be seen over succeeding years.

Good use is made of the book logo and cartoons interspersed throughout out this text. No reference list of books or articles consulted is provided. One appendix is provided for parents, ‘Books for boys’. This appendix is made up of 16 lists of graduated books, audio titles, series, non-fiction and poetry for boys, a very useful addition for parents. James Maloney was for fifteen years a teacher-librarian in a boys’ school.