Developing young minds From conception to kindergarten

Focusing on the importance of the first five years of life in children's intellectual development, Shore (education, Univ. of North Carolina, Charlotte) reviews neurological research showing how important these years are for learning, given what is now known about the structure of the brain. She makes complex material accessible and in most chapters summarizes the important points. In the last chapter she gives specific examples (organized by age and sensory mode) of activities to do with children from birth onward. She devotes two chapters to the significance of music in the development of children's minds, emphasizing the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. She has created CDs of Bach's music for babies and writes convincingly of the music's positive effects. Shore points out that young children are capable of more complex learning than was thought possible in the past, and she wants parents to be aware and take advantage of these crucial early learning years. This volume joins Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff, and Patricia Kuhl's The Scientist in the Crib: Minds, Brains, and How Children Learn (1999), which Shore cites. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. --Sally Sugarman, Vermont State Colleges

Shore, a parent and experienced educator at the college and high school levels, makes an argument for stimulating, complex, and brain-conscious early childhood education, relying on her long-standing interest in "how and why learning occurs in the brain the way that it does." The book's first third outlines scientific findings about the brain that demonstrate the need for a stimulating, language-filled environment during the early years of a child's life. The next section promotes art, dance, and music for the developing brain. Although this can be done cheaply and easily, the author includes an endorsement for a set of Bach CDs she produced. The last section, punctuated with useful childcare checklists and an age-by-age guide, encourages parents to provide enriching learning environments that are developmentally appropriate and allow young children to grow at their own pace. At times, the author seems uncertain whether she's writing for parents, early childhood educators, or early childhood education advocates. There's a little something for all these audiences, but the summaries placed at the end of each chapter suggest the book's most natural home is the classroom. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.