The Write Start: A Guide to Nurturing Writing at Every Stage

Being involved in early education, I jump at the chance to review any book related to this area. That's part of the reason that I was so excited to get a free e-copy of The Write Start from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. When I found out that the book was written by an OT, my interest was piqued even further, and the book didn't disappoint.
Honestly, one of the first things that I liked about this book was that it wasn't too long. I know full well that parents don't have time to sit down and read a 300+ page textbook about early writing skills. Most of the parents that I work with are looking for solid facts and activities that are easy and can fit into their daily lives, and The Write Start manages to do both well. The author identifies and explains the four basic stages of writing development- she refers to children as scribblers, spellers, storytellers, and scholars. Even better, all of her activities feature modifications for each stage of writing proficiency.
This book is set up so that the first section is dedicated to explaining each stage of writing development and talking about how to encourage children to write or scribble. The second half of the book consists of activities designed to encourage writing. Most of the activities are relatively easy and do not require any elaborate materials. If I had one complaint it would be that the first section of the book was a bit simplistic for me, however it would be perfect for most people who don't have the background in education that I have. Overall, this is a book that will be a great resource for parents, teachers and therapists looking to encourage writing development.