At first glance, I wanted to toss this for something more "structured" and "self-directed". I couldn't figure out how a child was supposed to learn anything by using this book. It is devoid of the normal jargon found in most workbooks. And what was up with the pictures? How can I ask my child to analyze a picture and call THAT a "grammar" lesson? What were they suppose to be learning from THAT? Weren't they suppose to be studying nouns and predicates and doing daily drills and such? But, alas, good things come to those who...slow down!

This book makes heavy use of narration (the child telling back a story in his/her own words), or "oral composition". If this is a foreign concept to you then delay this purchase and buy books by Dr. Ruth Beechick and/or anything about Charlotte Mason and her philosophy. You need to understand narration and why it works so effectively. If you are not sold on this approach, then don't buy this book. If you are familiar with the works of these two pioneers of "natural learning", and you feel comfortable with this approach, then this may be a great grammar/composition book to use with your 2nd - 4th Grader. Jessie Wise and Susan Bauer mention narration in _The Well Trained Mind_ , but they don't expound on it the way Beechick and Mason do.

The beauty of this book is in its simplicity. It causes a child to think deep and answer thoroughly; hence the title. This is not a book to rush through. Every page, every lesson is to be savored, and chewed thoroughly like a good meal. I realized this after changing my homeschool program into one that is more relaxed and focused on the joy of everyday learning. This book causes you to slow down and think. Think REAL hard. You may or may not want to put that much time into a grammar/composition program.

Having said that, I must say that I agree with some of the complaints mentioned here, but it took a second purchase (after selling my first copy) to force me to look at it more closely. I wouldn't exactly call this a self-directed, independent program. You have to like working closely with your child. You have to be willing to work slowly and thoughtfully. If that's not your style, then don't buy this book! Also, remember that some kids read better than they write. This book encompasses a lot of writing exercises, but they can be done orally.

My 8 year-old daughter and I loved working through this together. It was a struggle for me to slow down the pace and enjoy it, but I realized that she needed this time with me so I forced myself to stay cool and slow down. It was tough, but worth it. That relaxed pace has spilled over to other areas of our homeschool and I have found it really works well for us.

Hope that helps. Enjoy this one (if you can!)

Cris

242 of 244 found the following review helpful:

Wonderful English Textbook  Jan 15, 2000
By Rene Thurston
I can't say enough about how wonderful English for the Thoughtful Child is. I purchased this book because it is the recommended 2nd grade English text in the homeschooling book The Well-Trained Mind, A Guide to Classical Education At Home (another great book!). There was no description and no reviews here, so I wasn't sure what I was in for! This is most certainly a "thoughtful" book. While it covers the standard requirements for English ~ punctuation, nouns, verbs, abbreviations, etc. ~ the joy of this book is the emphasis on creative writing. Beautiful illustrations are provided for the child to look at and think about. They are then prompted with questions about what might be occurring in the illustration and are then instructed to write their own story about what they think is happening in the picture. A GREAT way to spur creative writing! Plus there are wonderful poems for the child to memorize and recite. A nice change of pace from humdrum grammar lessons!

196 of 202 found the following review helpful:

Why Aren't There More Books Like This One?  Feb 16, 2000

Like the reviewer below, I bought this book because Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, the authors of The Well-Trained Mind,our family's bible for supplemental school work, recommended it as a first grammar book for young children. It was refreshing to find a book that was instructive yet entertaining, rigorous but not overwhelming and -- partly because it was written a long time ago, and recently re-printed -- faithful to traditional grammar basics for the young child. Finally, we were also enormously relieved to have a book that was completely unconcerned with being politically correct. Some people may be put off by lessons on "Christian names and surnames," and the roles to which little girls are relegated, etc., but, frankly, this card-carrying Democract was relieved not to have to wade through multicultural content which, sadly, often seems to have nothing to do with learning.

As a postscript, there is no better endorsement than our seven-year-old; it is the only homework she likes to do!

67 of 67 found the following review helpful:

Wow, what a book.  Aug 16, 2002
By Barb Shaw
I agree with all the positive comments. The approach here is not a copy of other workbooks. There are stories to create, poems to read and memorize, and generally learn English in a lovely, thoughtful way, just as the author suggests in the title. I used it with my son who is nine. His handwriting was poor, and he hates writing of any sort. The unique little lessons in this book are so different that he never realized that we were doing "English". The book offers a holistic way of helping a child and I am glad to have purchased it.

100 of 103 found the following review helpful:

Be aware  Aug 10, 2001

I love this book, but I almost gave it 4 stars just to draw attention to my review. We have been using this book for only a week in our homeschool, but we have had to interrupt our grammar lessons several times to do research before we could practice the day's grammar lesson. One exercise told us to "Write a statement telling where the sun rises."--this required a little instruction about the rising/setting sun. Another day, we were to respond to these questions: "How often do we have a new moon?" and "Where have you seen the new moon at sunset?" I had no idea, so we ran to the encyclopedia. If this bothers you, just be aware that you may want to look ahead at lessons to see if you should "do a little research." Otherwise, I love this book!

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