How to Help your Child Read and Write: A groundbreaking guide for every parent of children from birth to eleven years Paperback – Illustrated, 11 May 2007

I looked forward to reading this book, both out of professional interest and as a parent, and found much to appreciate and enjoy. Dr. Wyse is a lucid and engaging writer, a passionate advocate of reading with children and encouraging their own reading and writing from the earliest age. He includes some excellent ideas and recommendations of specific titles for particular stages, and lively supporting examples of reading and writing approaches from children themselves.However, Dr. Wyse does quote his experiences with his own children - clearly very bright and able, and with plenty of informed parental support - extensively, drawing general conclusions from their very particular circumstances. I'm not for underestimating children, but even parents committed enough to buy this book might find some of the expectations in it daunting. And as a synthetic phonics sceptic, Dr. Wyse gives very little book-room or credence to phonics teaching - a pity, given its increasing importance in early literacy teaching in the UK.Those details aside, on the whole this is a highly useful and encouraging book, and especially valuable for its emphasis on communicating and reading with children in the early years, the foundations of confident and enjoyable reading for life.

As a mother of two young children I wanted to read this book for advice and encouragement on helping them learn to read and write. I was not disappointed. The book is very helpful in explaining the stages children usually go through and it was great to be able to identify these in my own children's behaviour and learning. The author does make it clear that there are no hard and fast rules about the age a child will be able to do certain things though so I did not feel I was having to compare or assess my children's progress. I enjoyed the way the author combines theory and practice as he relates his experiences with his own children. I have successfully tried out some of his suggestions such as book making and now understand and appreciate some of the things I have observed in my children's behaviour as valuable steps in the learning process. As a parent and a teacher I found this book helpful, informative and easy to read and thoroughly recommend it.

My boys are 6 and 8 and although this book is geared to parents of children as old as 11, I think that a lot of the information provided for that age group is less interesting. I think parents of children just learning to read and write would benefit much more.

This book is basically Dominic Wyse telling you how his children learned to read and write along with samples of their precocious writing skills, (Well done you!). I found absolutely nothing in it to help me teach my children to read and write apart from mind numbingly obvious suggestions along the lines of 'Why not give your child a pencil and some paper?', 'Hey, have you ever thought about encouraging your child to read and write?'. Intensely irritating.

Such an interesting, well-written guide to early literacy. This book would be useful for every parent - but what a pity it isn't compulsory reading for every teacher!! The author is extremely knowledgeable on the subject and this knowledge is backed by well-documented experiences with his own two children. At last someone writes with sense about how children begin their journey to literacy in a way that isn't influenced by current fads and trends.The book is very well-presented, is clearly laid-out and is beautifully illustrated. A book to keep on the bookshelf and 'dip into' but also easy to read at a sitting.

Although printed on the cover ' for every parent of children from birth to eleven years' it is a worthwhile read for everyone with an interest in children's learning. It provides a readable overview of the process and interweaves perceptive comments on what education is all about ( politicians please read as well) The reader is respected in the quality of the text and there are relevant references to the author's personal experience with his own children. The book not only makes suggestions it is written to enable the reader understand the principles of how to make choices. It will prove invaluable.