Rating: 
Summary: These were once RADICAL ideas
Review: 28 years ago, when I used ideas from the first edition of this book to teach my daughter to read, mainstream educators thought it was harmful to "push" a child to read before age 6. Her own reactions of interest and delight in the suggested activities told me otherwise. She was reading Dr. Suess by age 3 and chapter books without pictures by 4 1/2. Her Montessori teachers were totally amazed. Of course, I kept reading to her myself until she was 8 or so, because we both enjoyed that activity. Today she is an avid reader and the mother of a 10 month old daughter. She recently asked me how I taught her to read, and I remembered this book and came looking for it here. Now I remember that it had many, many other good suggestions for encouraging a child's natural curiousity. It was, by far, the best child development book I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: These were once RADICAL ideas
Review: 28 years ago, when I used ideas from the first edition of this book to teach my daughter to read, mainstream educators thought it was harmful to "push" a child to read before age 6. Her own reactions of interest and delight in the suggested activities told me otherwise. She was reading Dr. Suess by age 3 and chapter books without pictures by 4 1/2. Her Montessori teachers were totally amazed. Of course, I kept reading to her myself until she was 8 or so, because we both enjoyed that activity. Today she is an avid reader and the mother of a 10 month old daughter. She recently asked me how I taught her to read, and I remembered this book and came looking for it here. Now I remember that it had many, many other good suggestions for encouraging a child's natural curiousity. It was, by far, the best child development book I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: These were once RADICAL ideas
Review: 28 years ago, when I used ideas from the first edition of this book to teach my daughter to read, mainstream educators thought it was harmful to "push" a child to read before age 6. Her own reactions of interest and delight in the suggested activities told me otherwise. She was reading Dr. Suess by age 3 and chapter books without pictures by 4 1/2. Her Montessori teachers were totally amazed. Of course, I kept reading to her myself until she was 8 or so, because we both enjoyed that activity. Today she is an avid reader and the mother of a 10 month old daughter. She recently asked me how I taught her to read, and I remembered this book and came looking for it here. Now I remember that it had many, many other good suggestions for encouraging a child's natural curiousity. It was, by far, the best child development book I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good reading for all parents
Review: I was a young new mom and scared to death when the doctors told me that my new baby MAY be slightly learning disabled and in need of surgery to correct a very rare birth defect. I read every book I could find concerning the brain, its function, learning, IQ, etc..., determined to help my baby as best I could. "How To Raise A Brighter Child" saved me much grief and gave me confidence that no matter what my son's future, I felt armed with the skills to give him a better chance of being as normal a kid as he could possibly be. At present, my son is a happy, heathly, handsome, bright and very NORMAL teenager. He has won both academic and sports related awards to attest to his mental and physical capabilities. The surgery turned out (with much praying) to be nothing more than a cosmetic correction. The book helped me to appreciate just how much and how fast a baby learned, that its IQ was established before school age, and how much a parent can do to easily help it learn more. This book IS the missing 'Owner's Manual' for a new baby. I have given a copy to every first time parent I have ever met (instead of the traditional pair of crochet booties).
Rating:
Summary: The missing "owner's manual" for your child!
Review: I was a young new mom and scared to death when the doctors told me that my new baby MAY be slightly learning disabled and in need of surgery to correct a very rare birth defect. I read every book I could find concerning the brain, its function, learning, IQ, etc..., determined to help my baby as best I could. "How To Raise A Brighter Child" saved me much grief and gave me confidence that no matter what my son's future, I felt armed with the skills to give him a better chance of being as normal a kid as he could possibly be. At present, my son is a happy, heathly, handsome, bright and very NORMAL teenager. He has won both academic and sports related awards to attest to his mental and physical capabilities. The surgery turned out (with much praying) to be nothing more than a cosmetic correction. The book helped me to appreciate just how much and how fast a baby learned, that its IQ was established before school age, and how much a parent can do to easily help it learn more. This book IS the missing 'Owner's Manual' for a new baby. I have given a copy to every first time parent I have ever met (instead of the traditional pair of crochet booties).
Rating:
Summary: The MOST important book I've read
Review: Absolutely invaluable. Shows the crucial importance of early mental development and how to stimulate it in your child. Countless examples of how to direct your child's natural curiosity. Explains why first 6 years of life are perhaps the most important for intellectual developoment, and how those years can give a child a "leg up" that lasts a lifetime. Our son learned his alphabet by 20 months, knew phonetics by age 3, and was reading short words just before his 4th birthday. He teachers regard him as one of the happiest and brightest children they've encountered. After this book, I'd recommend "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" by Englemann as a great follow up.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Reading and Understandable for Parents; A Classic Book
Review: If you have little kids in your house, you must read this book.The book writing is very simple and easy to follow its guidance.( I first know it from the Library, published in 1967.) The contents of the books show you to start stimulate your child thinking development since he is a baby to preschool years. It shows you how to talk to your child, how to play with him. I read it when I have my first kid since he was very baby. Now, the guidance had proved! It gives you many prespective of your child characters. It provide you very good, smooth, and classic suggestions for working parents. I am working mom. After I read it, it makes me have more understanding what my kid needs. It explains to you how you can approach to teach your child in different ways, by physical play or verbals. (It reduces choatic in the house with the little kid, as a plus. )This book is one of my favorite parenting books. As a mother of 2, I still use this book for my 2nd child. It makes me have a confidence as being a mother & mentor to my children. You will not be regreated. PS: I don't know if the author is still alive. I would like to say deeply specially Thanks to her.
Rating: 
Summary: Smart, yes, but wise only in its own eyes
Review: Many of the ideas expressed in this book ring true regarding children's learning process. However, be wary of such subtleties as suggesting as fact to your child that this world or things in it have been around for myriads of years. That is not fact, but theory, no matter how widely accepted. The book also advises against corporal discipline, with insignificant substantiation and a single footnoted reference. In place of the wisdom of Solomon, this book suggests mere time outs and moral explications, but relegates the chastening of tough love to archaic obscurity, despite admitting its use by 90% of parents. Perhaps some children of the remaining 10% will become the future intelligent leaders of tomorrow, of companies like Enron and Worldcom.
Rating:
Summary: Smart, yes, but wise only in its own eyes
Review: Many of the ideas expressed in this book ring true regarding children's learning process. However, be wary of such subtleties as suggesting as fact to your child that this world or things in it have been around for myriads of years. That is not fact, but theory, no matter how widely accepted. The book also advises against corporal discipline, with insignificant substantiation and a single footnoted reference. In place of the wisdom of Solomon, this book suggests mere time outs and moral explications, but relegates the chastening of tough love to archaic obscurity, despite admitting its use by 90% of parents. Perhaps some children of the remaining 10% will become the future intelligent leaders of tomorrow, of companies like Enron and Worldcom.
Rating: 
Summary: Mindnumbing Psychobabble!
Review: The basic premise of this book is that you should create a stimulating environment in which your child will enjoy learning. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Well, I thought so. I was very excited to read this book. As it turns out, I've never been so disappointed in a book. Since the title is "How to Raise a Brighter Child" I had expected that it would be a "how to" book. The author does give a handful of examples of activities and games to engage in with your child. However, in most of the book she simply regurgitates other people's experimentation and data attempting to prove that it is advantageous to teach your child at a young age. Well, I wouldn't have bought this book if I didn't believe that! I don't think the author had a single unique idea of her own. The 38 pages of references and bibliography speaks for itself! I did read the entire book while continually hoping that it would get better, which it did not. Save yourself the cost of this book. As I said, the basic premise is wonderful. Take that and use your own imagination to make it work. You'll be much better served!
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