Angelica Jacob and Graham Barnsley (eds.) (1996) Gifted Children: The Challenge Continues. Sydney: NSW Association for Gifted and Talented Children. 288 pp., $19.95.

In his introduction to Section A, a reference section on Policy and Programmes, Eddie Braggett correctly points out that policy statements about education are often the culmination of years of planning, reflection and evolving thought. In the same way, this second anthology of articles and/or conference papers put together and published by the NSW Association for Gifted and Talented Children represents a distillation of the various debates which continue to preoccupy those who feel more can be done to provide challenging schooling experiences for talented children.

The book is divided into eleven sections representing these debates and/or the current state of play with respect to particular aspects of 'gifted education':

A. Policy and Programmes

B. Identifying/Understanding Giftedness

C. Parenting

D. Affective Needs of Gifted Children

E. Early Childhood

F. Differentiating the Curriculum

G. Acceleration

H. Gifted Learning Disabled

I. School Programmes/Special Courses

J. Giftedness in Isolation

K. Support Groups

In keeping with the Association's commitment to publishing examples of children's work (which habit will be familiar to readers of their journal, Gifted), there is an 8-page section of examples of talented children's writing. And for those new to the field, there is a general checklist of characteristics which are typically exhibited by talented children. Although titled as being a checklist for parents, the list could also prove useful for alerting teachers to the possibility of some of their pupils being very talented &emdash; something which we know is not always as obvious as intuitive or commonsense understandings would predict.

All the articles are short &emdash; almost all are fewer than ten pages in length &emdash; and therefore more likely to be accessible to a wide audience. In the articles, the various authors &emdash; parents, teachers, and well-known advocates for talented children &emdash; discuss the concerns most parents and/or teachers of highly able children struggle with, and describe examples of specific programs which have been introduced in some schools. The evidence supporting acceleration (including early entry to school), differentiation of curriculum, distance education and mentoring is presented along with practical advice on how to help them become established practices.

For readers familiar with the 'gifted and talented' literature there is probably not much that is new in this anthology but the book is a convenient reference source and for those less familiar with the literature, it is a readable and useful introduction to a range of issues and concerns.

Linley Lloyd, UNE

TalentEd Volume 16, No. 1 February 1998 

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