Book Reviews

THE GIFTED KIDS’ SURVIVAL GUIDE: FOR AGES 10 AND UNDER: Judy Galbraith, M.A.
Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing Inc. 1999, 97 pp.,
ISBN 1-57542-053-8; www.freespirit.com

Judy Galbraith, M.A., has a master’s degree in guidance and counselling of the gifted and has worked with and taught gifted youth, their parents, and their teachers for over ten years. In 1983, she started Free Spirit Publishing, which specializes in self-help books for kids. The Gifted Kids’ Survival Guide: For Ages 10 and Under is a fabulous book for kids who have recently been identified and have lots of questions about what it means to be gifted. Hundreds of gifted kids contributed to this book, providing advice and insights to other gifted children, to let them know that they are not alone, they are not “weird” and that being smart, creative and talented is a bonus, not a burden.

It is an easy read with lots of friendly graphics along the way. The table of contents makes it simple to find an area of interest, so that the book does not need to be read in order. Topics are covered in kid-oriented language, such as “when school isn’t cool”, “the perfection infection”, “smart ways to make and keep good friends” and “4 great ways to turn on your brain”. The section on coping with teasing is insightful as it deals with the feelings involved and provides some helpful strategies. The “8 great rights of gifted kids” list empowers kids to be proud to be gifted and offers suggestions for what they should expect of themselves and others. For example, some of the rights are: the right to be treated with respect by your friends, teachers and parents; the right to be different; and the right to make mistakes and not do your best all the time.

THE GIFTED KIDS’ SURVIVAL GUIDE: A TEEN HANDBOOK: Judy Galbraith, M.A. and Jim Delisle, Ph. D.
Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing 1998; 295 pp.,
ISBN 1-57542-003-1;www.freespirit.com

A sister publication to the Gifted Kids’ Survival Guide for Ages 10 and Under, this volume for teens is packed with useful strategies and personal insights from other gifted teens. Written with help from hundreds of gifted teenagers, this book purports to be the ultimate guide to surviving and thriving in a world that doesn’t always value, support, or understand high ability. It is full of surprising facts, useful strategies and inspiring essays contributed by gifted young people and adults to enable the reader to make the most of who they are.

Much larger than For Ages 10 & Under, the Teen Handbook is written as a resource manual that can be accessed at any point of interest. The topics range from “duelling definitions” to “taking charge of your life”, “what to say when teachers say NO” and there is even a section on teenage suicide. It was especially refreshing to read the section called “six reasons why parents are the way they are”, as I can only hope that my gifted children will forgive me for my own “frequent memory lapses about being a teenager”.

The authors are both well respected in gifted education. Judy Galbraith, M. A. is profiled in the preceding book review. Jim Delisle, Ph. D. is a professor of education at Kent State University and the parent of a gifted teenager. He also serves as the Co- Director of SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted), which is an international organization of parents, educators and students.

GUIDING THE GIFTED CHILD: James T. Webb, Ph. D., Elizabeth A. Meckstrom, M.S., Stephanie S. Tolan, M.A.
Scottsdale Arizona: Gifted Psychology Press 1998; Sixteenth Printing, 266 pp.,
ISBN 0-910707-00-6

As indicated on the cover, this book is indeed a “practical source for parents and teachers.” Selling over 90,000 copies and winning the American Psychological Association’s National Media Award, the relevance of this primer for Canadian parents and teachers is not diminished by its American source. The overall intent is practical versus theoretical, with insightful sections meant to increase awareness that gifted children and their families have special emotional needs and opportunities that are often overlooked and neglected.

Particularly insightful, is a table of recurring characteristics of “teachers who made a difference” as researched by Paul Torrance in 1981. The author asserts that these characteristics can equally apply to parents. Studies continue to confirm that the most significant influence on a child’s personality and performance is the behaviour of his parents. The authors also outline the basics of identification and testing. They recommend that parents should not be too quick to give up the notion that their child may be gifted if the child is not identified by the school testing. When a negative result is contrary to their own observations, it is recommended that parents support the child as if they are gifted in the meantime while pursuing private testing.

This book would be most helpful for parents of newly identified gifted children or for teachers who are taking on the additional component of teaching gifted children.