- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: WW Norton; 1 edition (Jun 21 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0393058824
- ISBN-13: 978-0393058826
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14.5 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 408 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,142,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Give kids the freedom to be kids, says Kephart, in this delightful book that, like her A Slant of Sun, centers on, in vibrant, loving detail, her 14-year-old son, Jeremy. Let children discover their own passions and interests; guide, but don't force; prod, but don't push; and, most important, let their imaginations flourish. Kephart and her husband have resisted the pressure from today's society to get kids involved in heavy competition and early preparation for college, sports or music. Freed from self-consciousness and with his parents' gentle encouragement, Jeremy has dared to dream that he could be a mystery writer, a poet, a comedian, a filmmaker. Understandably, Kephart's approach has made her an outsider among many parents who believe she's hurting Jeremy and his future prospects. "In the scheme of some things, these parents are right," she concedes. "It's Darwin's world, after all...." But, she says, "I do believe that the push to win is threatening—even already eroding—this generation's happiness." To resist this "erosion," she began a reading and writing group for her son and his friends. These kids' bursting creativity astounded and vindicated her. In serene and sage prose, she concludes that unleashing youths' imagination can create well-rounded, stable, happier people, both in their generation and the one guiding them.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Kephart's son, Jeremy, started out as a reluctant reader, completely uncharmed by the children's books that usually set off young imaginations. Slowly, gradually, Kephart captivates him with the Harry Potter series and Roald Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World until he takes off into full-blown love of stories and storytelling and eventually leads a neighborhood book-club/writing group. Kephart, author of Slant of Sun (1998), which also featured Jeremy, chronicles the journey of mother and son to pique a child's imagination in a culture where television and video games dominate children's time. Kephart laments the disregard for imagination as children are pressured to conform and compete. Her love of reading and writing is obvious and enthusiastic in this eloquent and lyrical appeal to parents to treasure and nurture children's imagination. She includes suggestions for how to inspire children to read and write and explore their imaginations. More than a how-to book to get children interested in reading, this is a glorious celebration of imagination. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
THIS IS WHAT he looks like: dark Iustrous hair and big curious eyes, cinnamon or chocolate eyes, eyes like phosphorescence. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
THIS IS WHAT he looks like: dark Iustrous hair and big curious eyes, cinnamon or chocolate eyes, eyes like phosphorescence. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book to change the world,
This review is from: Seeing Past Z (Hardcover)
I'm not a teacher, or a parent--but I loved this book, and consider it extremely important. Disguised as a collection of some of the most lyrical and evocative essays you will ever read, this book is really the operating manual for a child's imagination. How to nuture it, challenge it, and importantly, give it space to flourish--how to let the life of the mind grow into a garden, and not a parking lot. Yet this is not a book full of instructions (although there are excellent and very specific guidelines you can use to start a reading and writing group for kids on your own)--this book is an open door. Read it, give it to every parent, librarian and educator you know--and next thing you know, we might have kids who will be brave enough and free enough to imagine our world into new wholeness.
5.0 out of 5 stars
An important, touching book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Seeing Past Z (Hardcover)
I read Seeing Past Z with excitement and envy. Finally, a book that puts words to so many of the feelings I have as a mother, aunt, and teacher. Beth Kephart reminded me how important imagination is to every day life, and she's given me a book I can share with friends as we struggle to raise our sons and daughters with care. We're always complaining about how competitive everything has gotten in our kids' lives. Seeing Past Z has given me a way to do something about that. Thank you, Beth Kephart.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful salute to imagination,
By
This review is from: Seeing Past Z (Hardcover)
Seeing Past Z is the author's account of the importance of imagination in child development. Given the busy schedules of children today and the enormous pressures to succeed, taking time for imaginative play and story telling is often not just overlooked but impossible. This beautifully lyrical book addresses the need to take that time and tells what can be gained. She makes important points thoughtfully and with beautiful prose. I enjoyed it tremendously.
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