Farmer, D. (Ed.) (1993) Gifted Children Need Help? A Guide for Parents and Teachers. Sydney: NSW Association for Gifted and Talented Children.

This book comprises a selection of articles from the NSW Association's journal Gifted, with some additional introductory comments to each of the eleven sections. The wide-ranging content covers 'Identifying gifted children', 'Gifted preschoolers and early entry', 'Gifted readers', 'Acceleration', 'Special schools, special programs', 'The underachiever tragedy', 'The child's needs', 'Parenting gifted children' and 'Local groups', along with a short reference section on useful publications in the gifted field.

The book proper begins with a thought provoking piece from Louise Mares, 'Teaching gifted children cognitive freedom', which dares us to invite more questioning from our most able children, of even our most comfortable and sacred beliefs.

The two sections that follow cover aspects of the new NSW policy, but these are far from parochial in their concerns, addressing issues of general significance in the education of the gifted.

In the remainder of the book, in the eleven sections alluded to above, you will find 32 short, readable articles, some on research but more on practice (of teaching, of parenting) and there are many case studies of 'real children' to be found within these pages. It is, as David Farmer states, "an information-packed book" and it should serve well the purpose he envisages for it of providing "a lifeline of information to parents and teachers new to the label 'gifted', and, quite likely, to the problems and issues which tend to go with that label."

This brief reference to its contents does not do the book justice. I highly recommend it to parents and teachers across Australia, and probably beyond, for it contains up to date ideas from writers who are well informed because of their own immediate involvement in this field, as researchers, administrators, or through the hard-won expertise of the practising teacher or parent.

You may order a copy from:

NSWAGTC, PO Box 1086, Strathfield NSW 2135

If you wish to order by phone, the number is (02) 9746 3407, or fax (02) 9746 3507.

Stan Bailey, UNE

TalentEd No. 42, Winter 1993

©TalentEd is located at the School of Education, University of New England, Armidale, Australia.

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