The founder and director of the Thirty Million Words Initiative, Professor Dana Suskind, explains why the most important—and astoundingly simple—thing you can do for your child’s future success in life is to talk to him or her, reveals the recent science behind this truth, and outlines precisely how parents can best put it into practice. The research is in: Academic achievement begins on the first day of life with the first word said by a cooing mother just after delivery. A study by researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley in 1995 found that some children heard thirty million fewer words by their fourth birthdays than others. The children who heard more words were better prepared when they entered school. These same kids, when followed into third grade, had bigger vocabularies, were stronger readers, and got higher test scores. This disparity in learning is referred to as the achievement gap. Professor Dana Suskind, MD, learned of this thirty million word gap in the course of her work as a cochlear implant surgeon at University of Chicago Medical School and began a new research program along with her sister-in-law, Beth Suskind, to find the best ways to bridge that gap. The Thirty Million Word Initiative has developed programs for parents to show the kind of parent-child communication that enables optimal neural development and has tested the programs in and around Chicago across demographic groups. They boil down to getting parents to follow the three Ts: Tune in to what your child is doing; Talk more to your child using lots of descriptive words; and Take turns with your child as you engage in conversation. Parents are shown how to make the words they serve up more enriching. For example, instead of telling a child, “Put your shoes on,” one might say instead, “It is time to go out. What do we have to do?” The lab's new five-year longitudinal research program has just received funding so they can further corroborate their results. The neuroscience of brain plasticity is some of the most valuable and revolutionary medical science being done today. It enables us to think and do better. It is making a difference in the lives of both the old and young. If you care for children, this landmark book is essential reading.

With straight-talking advice from renowned Psychotherapist Philippa Perry, How to be a Parent is the definitive guide for any parent looking to navigate their past, avoid repeating their own parents' mistakes, and ensure they don't land their own kids in therapy.Through the combination of case studies, her own experiences as a parent, and therapeutic insight gained from a career spanning over 20 years, Perry tackles the wider issues of what it actually means to be a parent, rather than getting bogged down in the little details.This isn't a book about meeting developmental milestones, training your child to have enviable manners, or how to get the much idealised 'perfect' family, it's about creating functional relationships with your children so that they grow up feeling secure, knowing who they are and what they want - giving both them and you a shot at real happiness.Full of refreshing, sage and sane advice on the bigger picture of parenthood, How to be a Parent is the only book you'll ever really need to ensure you don't mess your kids up.

Outlines 12 key strategies for fostering healthy brain development in children to promote a calm and happy outlook, explaining how challenging child behaviors are rooted in immature left and right brain coordination and how parents can make informed adjustments to enable positive learning experiences.

A special 25th anniversary board book edition of a bestselling modern classic, Owl Babies is a comforting read for any toddler who has ever worried about mum leaving them alone, or any child starting pre-school for the very first time. Sarah, Percy and Bill the baby owls wake one night to find their mother gone. And as the darkness gathers and they perch patiently on their branch waiting for her return, oh how they worry! Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mum been so sensitively told or so beautifully rendered as in this tale from picture book masters, Patrick Benson and Martin Waddell and, with a foreword and gorgeous golden foil on the cover and spine, this edition is one to share and treasure.