The book addresses areas of general concern, such as motivation, incentives, play, learning, creativity and inventiveness; it is sad that a whole chapter is devoted to play, urging parents to ‘provide a setting where it’s OK to make a mess’ and to ‘keep it unstructured; there is no need for a “result”’. Sometimes the language of the schoolroom creeps in, as in the section on concentration and staying ‘on task’. The authors stress the importance of allowing the child to develop at their own rate. They ask some hard but necessary questions: ‘Are you expecting too much or applying too much pressure? Are you putting too much emphasis on success rather than your child’s willingness to participate?’ To my mind, the most crucial statement is that reading to children is the single most important thing to do. There is an appendix of eleven activities to facilitate particular learnings and a checklist of developmental milestones, but no bibliography or further reading – as if this book contains all you need to know. Unfortunately, overall, it reads as a programme of instruction for parents, and model parents at that.

The authors emphasise in their introduction that the work is based on research, but no evidence is provided. Annoyingly, this is true of all these books. It is patronising to parents to assume they are not interested in expertise or wider reading; it suggests that unsubstantiated ‘received wisdom’ is acceptable knowledge, and that anyone (especially a ‘Dr’) can be an expert.

There is no indication at all of Kerrie Shanahan’s qualifications to write Springboard to Reading and Writing (Ibis Publishing, $24.95 pb, 159 pp), which, disconcertingly, is presented in the format of a children’s picture book: large print, lots of white space, wide leading, childish illustrations and, for those parents who are in a hurry, ‘Short-cut tips’ highlighted in colour. Here are two: ‘If you have a computer, you might like to let your child experiment with typing using the keyboard. Print out the writing your child does. Encourage your child to read it to you.’ And ‘Don’t be afraid to let your child PLAY’. I mean!

Shanahan’s advice is generally sensible and based on current understandings about literacy development, such as ‘The best way for your child to develop an understanding of the patterns and structure of language is to hear many, many books’, and ‘successful readers EXPECT that what they read will make sense’. Her discussion places the loaded term ‘phonics’ in its proper place alongside syntactical and semantic strategies. However, there are also some dangerous simplifications. For example, Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences is oversimplified, and it is implied that the various learning styles (only three are indicated) are fixed and prescriptive. For further reading, parents are advised to check the Internet or to ask at the local library. The best aspect of Shanahan’s book is that she occasionally recommends children’s books.

Thank goodness for Jackie French’s Rocket Your Child into Reading (HarperCollins, $19.95 pb, 188 pp). Motivated by her struggle to have her own difficulties with reading recognised at school – she is dyslexic – she has compiled a thorough, informed, lively, appealing, anecdotal work that, while focusing on those who are struggling, is full of useful, motivational approaches to successful reading. Her tone is conversational, encouraging and unpatronising. Some of her stories about actual encounters with young readers and writers are inspiring. The book is broad in its coverage from pre-schoolers to adolescents. It stresses that reading is not a discrete skill but a repertoire of skills, and that no single approach to learning to read suits all children. French’s approach is inclusive: she has imaginative ways of using information and communication technologies and books together; suggests giving a child a book to read while they are watching television or a DVD; and values a family that fosters a culture of reading. The book contains 188 pages of well-organised and accessible information. Again, some children’s books are mentioned – mainly French’s.

Once children have learned to read and write, and to succeed at school, they become teenagers and you wonder why you bothered. Well, not always, but teenagers certainly get a bad press in our society. Leanne Rowe and David Bennett’s book (You Can’t Make Me: Seven Simple Rules for Parenting Teenagers, Doubleday, $14.95 pb, 132 pp) makes excellent reading for long-suffering parents. It paints a gloomy outlook for the current generation unless parents can be encouraged to seek help and information, perhaps advocating the need for itself. The ‘seven steps’ of the subtitle embrace such issues as love and respect, conflict, school, risk reduction, sadness and depression, crises and starting a social revolution of positive images of, and encounters with, young people. Each chapter follows a similar format of a brief overview of the topic followed by the voices and opinions of teenagers themselves. Examples of what not to do are also illustrated with accounts from adolescents. This foregrounding of young people’s opinions and voices is to be commended; at times, they are sharply insightful and often moving. There is a salutary list of what sixteen-year-olds feel are expected of them. The expert researchers’ opinions follow the evidence from the young people. Witty quotations from the likes of Mark Twain are interpolated to lighten the tone, my favourite being ‘Having an argument with a teenager is like being pecked to death by ducks’.

The authors advocate particular models such as ‘authoritative parenting’, which sends messages ‘that limits are about being loved’, and give down-to-earth advice about dealing with typical adolescent behaviour that adults typically find hard to deal with, such as moodiness and getting them to do housework. This is a balanced approach that recognises that there are misinterpretations on both sides, and that parents often feel hurt by adolescent behaviour. It identifies the small things that adults almost unconsciously do that can wound their young, and combines general understandings of this phase of life with advice about what to do on a daily basis. The tone is one of advocacy for adolescents, and the authors encourage parents to enjoy the energy, company, music and horizon-expanding opportunities that young people offer.