Commentary : Good Books for Good Students for Good Development

Michael F. Shaughnessy - 9.2.09
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
Portales, New Mexico  
 

Some of My Best Friends are Books.  This is a title of a book and also a factual truthful statement. Some of my best friends are books- and I enjoy re-reading them. And some of my best friends remain books that I have read and enjoyed, and refer to and even cite on occasion.

Some of My Best Friends are Books was written by Judith Wynn Halsted. It is now in it’s third edition and with good reason. It is a good book. It is also an important book that parents of gifted children need to read and reflect on and understand. It is a great book for any parent that wants to give their child the greatest gift imaginable- the gift of reading and the pleasure and enjoyment of reading.

Some of My Best Friends are Books is published by Great Potential Press. And I believe that good books help to encourage and nurture potential. Good Books help students become better learners and better scholars and better writers and thinkers. The subtitle of the book is “ Guiding Gifted Readers”. I think any concerned parent would do well to get this book or encourage the local school library or the local library to purchase this book.

Some of My Best Friends are Books contains information about the social, intellectual and emotional needs of children and adults of high ability and giftedness. The author describes various patterns of students from kindergarten to 12^th grade- and how to meet those needs. The book is full of robust ideas and methods for adults to prompt, encourage, and guide kids to good books and good reading habits.

Books can help kids develop their ideas, their identity, and their idealism. Books can help kids deal with the arrogance and pomposity of others as well as identify the great themes of being human.  Books can help with the cognitive and intellectual ability of the child as well as with their vocabulary, writing, grammar and syntax.

Adam Smith wrote the Wealth of Nations. This book describes the wealth of literature that parents can help student find and encounter.  Finding good fiction as well as non-fiction is discussed. Examining poems, plays, fantasy, science fiction and westerns are all part of the discussion process.  

Folktales, tall tales and fairy tales are all covered and mythology and epic literature is thrown in for good measure.

The issue of choosing books that help students deal with specific issues is extensively addressed. Creativity, achievement, aloneness, intensity, moral concerns, introversion, extroversion and perfectionism – there are suggestions for books that will assist elementary, middle school, and high school students.

Good books are often the best of friends in the worst of times.  And in the best of times, good books can make our times memorable. I can’t say enough about this book and it’s importance in encouraging kids to read—both for pleasure, and learning. And the more children read, the richer their educational experience is supplemented.

Teachers simply can’t do it alone. They need to rely on parents to encourage reading, and librarians to help children find “ just the right book “ for them to enjoy and to benefit from.

The book is available from www.giftedbooks.com or from Great Potential Press at 1 877 954 4200 or by writing to Great Potential Press, P.O. Box 5057, Scottsdale, Arizona 85261.

It is important to get kids reading. It will always be important to keep kids reading. This book will help and provide the guidance that parents, teachers, and yes, even librarians may need.