Finding a good book for the Holiday Break.

Take the time during the break to read a good book.  There are certainly a lot of good fiction books out there (please feel free to comment your latest good reads). If you are looking for some great books about giftedness, here is a list of some to consider giving yourself this holiday season.

A Love for Learning

Spark the motivation in your gifted child or student! Keep them eager and excited at home and in the classroom!

Gifted children are susceptible to many de-motivating factors, which can lead to depression and academic underachievement. The authors present concepts and techniques to counteract those factors, allowing a child’s motivation to skyrocket.

Features the Four C’s of Motivation:

• Creating Challenge
• Creating Control
• Creating Commitment
• Creating Compassion

Order through Great Potential Press before December 11, 2009 and receive 30% off one item by entering the promotional code “TAKE30OFF.”

Cradles of Eminence: Childhoods of More Than 700 Famous Men and Women

What were the common childhood experiences of 700 eminent adults? Among things, they disliked school; their families valued education; they had strong mothers; and they grew up feeling “different” from others. This exciting update of the 1964 classic includes information from “Three Hundred Eminent Personalities” (1978), as well as from new biographies published in the last six years. Key findings include:

• Most had at least one ambitious parent who was striving and driving.
• Their parents were highly opinionated.
• Their parents often held unconventional opinions that were shocking, even antagonistic, to others.
• Many of the parents–especially mothers–dominated their children’s lives.
• As children, few liked school, and still fewer liked their teachers.
• Nearly all showed the characteristics used today to identify gifted children

A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children

Raising a gifted child is both a joy and a challenge, yet parents of gifted children have few resources for reliable parenting information. The four authors, who have decades of professional experience with gifted children and their families, provide practical guidance in areas such as:
Characteristics of gifted children; Peer relations; Sibling issues; Motivation & underachievement; Discipline issues; Intensity & stress; Depression & unhappiness; Educational planning; Parenting concerns; Finding professional help; and much, much more!
This is the one book that will help you understand the gifted people in your life — and it is the basic text of our SENG Parenting Discussion Groups that are offered annually each fall.
Order through Great Potential Press before December 11, 2009 and receive 30% off one item by entering the promotional code “TAKE30OFF.”

Outliers: The Story of Success

Why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the “self-made man,” he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don’t arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: “they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, “some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky.”

Letting Go of Perfect: Overcoming Perfectionism in Kids

For children who believe their best is never good enough, perfectionism can lead to excessive guilt, lack of motivation, low self-esteem, depression, pessimism, obsessive and compulsive behavior, and a sense of rigidity. By delineating the major types of perfectionists and providing practical tips, the authors show parents and teachers how they can help these children effectively control their perfectionist tendencies and use those to their advantage.