Beyond Baby Talk: From Speaking to Spelling: A Guide to Language and Literacy Development for Parents and Caregivers

The goal of the authors is to inform parents about: how children (birth to age five) develop language, the factors that influence language development, and possible causes of language problems. They also hope to show how miraculous language development is and how important a role parents play. The book is not intended as a reference for parents of children with language development problems. The first four chapters cover the language skills that children develop in their first year, second year, third and fourth years, and fifth and sixth years. There are also chapters regarding the influence of gender and birth order, culture, and the media; language development and childcare; and where to get help if you suspect a developmental delay. There is also a reference chart showing developmental milestones from birth to age five. The focus is on spoken language, although there is some discussion on the beginnings of reading, writing, and spelling. The basic message of this book is that language is developed, not taught. That is, parents and caregivers should rely on everyday interactions with their children, not lesson plans and flash cards, in developing a child's language skills. Parents should follow the child's lead in play and conversation, provide age-appropriate models of language, and show respect and understanding for what the child says. Apel and Masterson are experts in their fields and they are very passionate about children and language development. Their passion is contagious and I found myself reading "Beyond Baby Talk" eagerly and with great interest. I was even able to overlook their generous usage of exclamation points. Apel and Masterson wanted the book to be easy to read, but in my opinion they went a little overboard. Each chapter is filled with preview, discussion, summary, review. It was tiresome to read the same information over and over again. However, upon skimming back through the book, I realize that I learned more than I thought and that it stuck pretty well. Still, I would have liked less preview and review and more examples and specifics.

The information is straightforward and clearly summarizes the research out there. It's a great resource for all parents, not just those families with language development issues. This book partnered with How Babies Talk by R.Golinkoff, Ph.D and K.Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D is a must!

I absolutely loved this book! I devoured the entire book, then went back and reread the section that pertained to my son's age group. It was so refreshing to hear that you don't need a bunch of gimmicks, flash cards, or tapes to help your child learn language. They really focus on what is gained from every day interaction and play with your child, and how to use daily situations to enhance language development. Loaded with commom sense information that takes you out of the competetion mind set and helps get you in sync with your child. This was the first book I have read specifically about language development, and I am so glad I chose this one!

As a parent, grandparent, and speech-language pathologist, I highly recommend this book on language and early literacy development. Mastrson and Apel have written an easy to read, fact filled book that will help parents and early childhood teachers understand the mystery of the greatest gift we have, in language and communication. The book gives excellent advice for parents and helps them understand how important early language development is to preventing reading failure. This is one of the best gifts for "parents-to-be" or new parents. I will use it in working with parents of pre-schoolers who have language delay and also share it with family members as well.