Recommended Reading for Parents
The following book reviews have been kindly submitted by members of our Gifted Community Forum - our online community where we share our experience of parenting or teaching a gifted child. Please consider helping to support our site by purchasing from Amazon.co.uk. Giftedkids.ie is run by a voluntary group with no funding and we rely on the generous support of our users. Thank you.
 
Guiding the Gifted Child: A Practical Source for Parents and Teachers
Authors: James T. Webb, Elizabeth A. Meckstroth & Stephanie S. Tolan
"Guiding the Gifted Child is probably one of the best general guides in relation to giftedness that I have read so far. . ."
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Perfectionism: What's Bad about Being Too Good?: What's Bad About Being Too Good? (Dream It! Do It!)
Authors: Miriam Adderholt and Jan Goldberg
"Perfectionism, What’s Bad about being Too Good is the second most important book after Guiding the Gifted child that I have read on my journey of raising gifted children. . . "
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 The Difficult Child
Author: Stanley Turecki
"Offers reassurance and advice to parents of temperamental children.. It shows you how to identify the behaviour patterns and conflict situations and pinpoint and cope with specific difficulties." For childred aged 2-6. As recommended by Bixi.
  Confident Children: Help Children Feel Good About Themselves
Author: Gael Lindenfield
"Self esteem, confidence and happiness. How to encourage children to fulfil their potential and grow to become confident adults. And how to avoid the fine line between confidence, arrogance and precociousness." As recommended by Bixi.
  The Secret of Happy Children: A Guide for Parents
Author: Steve Biddulph
" A humorous read. This book helps the reader to understand exactly what is going on in your child's mind and what you can do about it. I found it particularly helpful in identifying what exact feelings my child was experiencing at a given time. Age 4-12." As recommended by Bixi.
  I'm Okay, You're a Brat!: Setting the Priorities Straight and Freeing You from the Guilt and Mad Myths of Parenthood
Author: Susan Jeffers
"I first asked myself the question "Where did I go wrong?" when my first child was less than two years old! This was quickly followed by the thought "I haven't really had time to go wrong yet!!! So maybe it's not me, or at least not just me!". . .
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  How to Do Homework without Throwing Up
Author: Trevor Romain
"The reason How to do Homework Without Throwing Up was on my book shelves is probably obvious. My young lady really couldn’t see the point of homework. (And being totally honest, I only see the point in very small amounts of homework, and some days off altogether) but I don’t make the rules! ". . .
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  The Explosive Child
Author: Ross W. Greene
"I first read this book when my explosive one was about eleven years old following an episode where she had come home from school and as she headed up the stairs to change her uniform I told her she needed to wait about five minutes." . . .
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  How to Hug a Porcupine: Negotiating the Prickly Points of the Tween Years
Author: Julie A. Ross M.A.
"The perfect title for a book on how to cope with a prickly tween! It is written in a very clear style, with no jargon or psychobabble and lots of illustrative anecdotes which ring frighteningly true"
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  Cradles of Eminence: Childhoods of More Than 700 Famous Men and Women
Author: Victor Goertzel
"Fascinating book. Not by any means a parenting guide, but very interesting for anyone into biographies. Enjoyable and easy to read. Would also be inspiring reading for gifted teens as it shows how so many of these people who eventually rose to eminence, had very difficult childhoods. It was plain sailing for none. So, also reassuring for worried parents!" As recommended by Peps.
  Smart Girls: A New Psychology of Girls, Women, and Giftedness
Author: Barbara Kerr
"Very interesting book outlining how gifted girls differ from boys in how they may handle giftedness, what motivates them and in the supports they need in order to bloom." As recommended by Peps.
Smart Boys: Talent, Manhood, and the Search for Meaning
Author: Barbara Kerr
"Excellent book. Gives an insight to how it is to be a gifted male. Outlines the struggle they have to hold it together in a world where males are expected to be “jocks” and hard men. As a mother, it brought home to me how dependent gifted boys may become on their mother for emotional support and how difficult, but yet important their relationship with their father may be. " As recommended by Peps.
  How to Parent So Children Will Learn: Strategies for Raising Happy, Achieving Children
Author: Sylvia Rimm
"This is a wonderful book. Full of down to earth parenting advice. Highly recommended! " As recommended by Peps.
  Keys to Parenting the Gifted Child
Author: Sylvia Rimm
As recommended by Peps.
 It's Called Dyslexia!
Author: Jennifer Moore-Mallinos
As an introduction to dyslexia for children (and indeed adults) Sarah’s story is told in a simple, elegant fashion. There is a strong emphasis on Sarah’s hurt and confusion as she struggles in school - in spite of her hard work; and a straightforward explanation of what dyslexia is and how it can be addressed. . .
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