How to Teach Your Baby to Read (Gentle Revolution) (Paperback)

by Glenn Doman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This bestselling classic--with more than one million copies sold in hardcover--illustrates just how easy it is for children to learn to read. Doman shows clearly, and illustrates with fascinating case histories, just how to teach young children to read--and what a great benefit early reading is to both children and their parents.

Product Details

• Paperback: 258 pages
• Publisher: Avery; Rev Upd edition (November 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895295970
• ISBN-13: 978-0895295972
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #382,238 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My success story: Thank you, daddy!, October 8, 1999

By A Customer

I don't remember ever not knowing how to read.

This is because when I was just a year old, my dad bought a copy of this book. After reading it, he wrote words in big red block print on solid, kid-proof pieces of white cardboard. And I *flew* with it. I got out of this book what my dad put into it, and then some.

I remember how much fun I had. When he came home from work, I'd beg him to pull out the flashcards: "Get the words, daddy!"

A couple years later, when my sister was 2 and I was 4, *I* taught *her* to read. She didn't initially take to it as well as I did, but I made it a game: I'd hide the flash cards around the house and send her off in search of the right words. She loved it! So if at first you don't succeed, you can modify the system to suit your baby.

At about the same time, I entered kindergarten. I remember wondering why they made such a big deal about my ability to read. After all, as surprising as it was to them, it was nothing unusual to *me*!

Flash forward 20 years. Where am I in 1999? I'm a very successful graduate student in Boston. Merit scholarships have taken me right through college. I worked hard to get here, and I know my dad started me on the right foot.

Did I benefit from this book? Yes. When I have children, will I teach them by this system? Absolutely. This is the kind of gift keeps on giving. Your child will cherish it for years to come.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, December 29, 1998

By A Customer

I picked up Doman's book ready to scoff. Teach your baby to read! What a parent ego trip! I read the book. And I turned 180 degrees. Everything he said made perfect sense. So I read other books on teaching toddlers to read. Some books were better than others (the worst rewarded children with candy). I liked Doman best because of the joy he expressed and the respect he accorded parents. Teaching my 2-yr old to read was an incredibly beautiful experience for us both! And she did learn: 100 words by age 3, 100 books by age 4, her second language by age 5 (she attended kindergarten in a foreign country). She has always read beautifully--not the halting wordcalling of children who read letter by letter, but with the fluid expression of someone reading for meaning. And she, now 11, is very happy with herself and her abilities. What more could a parent ask? A final note: thuh ing-glish lang-gwij izunt funetik, although it was in Chaucer's time. Parents eager to part with big bucks for "Hooked on Phonics" would do better to read Doman first.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phonics aren't for everyone!, January 22, 1999

By A Customer

Many years ago, my parents taught me to read using Donan's whole-language method. As a result, I could read at an 8th-grade level before I started 1st grade. Since then, I've had perfect verbal scores on the PSAT, SAT, and GRE exams. I went to a top university and today I'm a highly-paid professional writer and editor. Best of all, I truly love to read -- and that's the gift I most hope to pass along to my own children.

BUT ... as many educators will tell you, the whole-language approach is a dead end for lots of kids. Moral of the story: experiment. Don't rule out the whole-language approach OR phonics. See what works best for your child. The most important thing is that you take responsibility for teaching your children to enjoy reading. Don't expect the school system to do it for you.