Some of My Best Friends Are Books

Auteur

Judith Wynn Halsted has retired from a long career in education. After majoring in English and earning a teaching certificate, she completed a Master's degree in Library Science at the University of Illinois. When her family moved to Traverse City, Michigan, she became the librarian at The Pathfinder School. While at Pathfinder, she developed and directed a program for gifted students. Her interest in the social and emotional development of gifted children rose from her experiences as the parent of two gifted sons. At the suggestion of Dr. James T. Webb, she combined the twin threads of her career path-gifted children and books-and published the first edition of her book, Guiding Gifted Readers, in 1988.

In 1985, Halsted founded Halsted Academic Advisors. Later, she became a Certified Educational Planner, helping families with gifted children of all ages make educational decisions, and guiding high school students through the college selection and application process. Updated editions of her book, titled Some of My Best Friends Are Books, were published in 1994, 2002, and 2009. She has written for journals in the field of gifted education, authoring the Judith Halsted on Books column in 2e: Twice Exceptional Newsletter.

Halsted's free time, too, has focused on books and libraries. Her work as co-chair of a grass-roots group, Citizens for Libraries, resulted in a new district library, which in 1998 replaced the Carnegie library building that had served Traverse City since 1903. In retirement, she enjoys having more time for reading and music, as well as enjoying northern Michigan outdoors in all seasons, and most of all, her family-which now includes four grandchildren who keep alive her interest in children's books.

Texte du rabat

This book contains an annotated bibliography of more than 300 books recommended for gifted students, as well as some good advice about the importance of reading and how to encourage it in children and adolescents. Because gifted students often intensely identify with characters in books, it is important for them to read well-written books with complex characters and plots. When the characters in the books face some of the same issues and concerns that the gifted reader is facing, the child gains new insights into his or her own problems or worries, as well as potential ways of handling them. In this way, good books can provide bridges to new insights, better communication of feelings and values, and more thoughtful decision making. Well-selected books also can help gifted children learn new social and emotional skills, while at the same time fostering intellectual and creative development.

Topics include:

Intellectual and emotional needs of children of high ability

Typical and advanced reading patterns for children in grades K-12

How parents and teachers can provide reading guidance and discuss books with young readers

A well-indexed annotated bibliography of more than 300 books for readers of all ages, carefully selected to promote intellectual and emotional development

Books that deal with themes of achievement, aloneness, arrogance, developing imagination, intensity, introversion, perfectionism, relationships with others, sensitivity, and resilience

An extensive index with suggested titles for each theme, in addition to indexes by book title and author