The Gardener and the Carpenter

The Gardener and the Carpenter should be required reading for anyone who is, or is thinking of becoming a parent … Gopnik’s science-based assertion is a welcome corrective to the prevailing culture of coaching and tutoring children – Isabel Berwick * Financial Times *
[An] elegantly readable and thoughtful book… It should be required reading for anyone involved in educational reform. – Lara Feigel * Observer *
[A] thoughtful book… Gopnik shines when she describes the intricate world of children’s play… This is a lovely book, and the life’s work that animates it, will only deepen that bond, helping our children to flourish – Erika Christakis * Washington Post Sunday *
[A] fascinating and passionate diatribe. – Bee Wilson * Guardian *
Gopnik’s book seems a welcome burst of common sense … fascinating. * New Scientist *
The Gardener and the Carpenter is warm, humane and perceptive. – Charlotte Moore * Spectator *
Thought provoking – Claire Fox * Independent *
[The Gardener and the Carpenter] calls into question the modern notion that good parents can mold their children into successful adults … Gopnik writes with an approachable style and straightforward language … Children are not supposed to become like their parents; they learn from them to create something new. Each generation is different from the ones before. And that, Gopnik suggests, is the whole point of being human. * Boston Globe *
Deeply researched … [Gopnik’s] approach focuses on helping children to find their own way … She describes a wide range of experiments showing that children learn less through ‘conscious and deliberate teaching’ than through watching, listening, and imitating. * Nature *
What a relief to find a book that takes a stand against the practice of “helicopter parenting” so prevalent today … [The Gardener and the Carpenter] not only dispels the myth of a single best model for good parenting but also backs up its proposals with real-life examples and research studies … This book will provide helpful inspiration for parents and may prompt some to rethink their strategies. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *

Alison Gopnik is a professor of psychology and an affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. She is an internationally recognised leader in the study of children’s learning and development. She writes the Mind and Matter column for the Wall Street Journal and is the author of The Philosophical Baby and co-author of The Scientist in the Crib. She has three sons and lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, Alvy Ray Smith.

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