I read a lot. I am a huge fan of my local library (and their Libby app!) and am a firm believer in the power of books to spark ideas, challenge thinking and introduce new concepts. Books have been a key element in my professional development and I am a champion of professional libraries (I have one which travels with me to projects) and reading clubs!
I am currently reading:
- Nikki Highmore Sims’ How to Run a Great Workshop : The Complete Guide to Designing and Running Brilliant Workshops and Meetings [find it here]
- Phillipa Perry’s The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read
- Prof. Amy Brown’s The First Year of Parenting – (in preparation for an upcoming blog post on signposting!)




Each book with a link redirects to Hive Books. I used Amazon before, but have recently discovered Hive Books. I love their approach, especially how they support an independent bookshop with every single sale they make.
Recent good reads:
- Julie Starr’s Brilliant Coaching [find it here]
- Cantore and Passmore’s Top Business Psychology Models [find it here]
- Monika Celebi’s Weaving the Cradle: Facilitating Groups to Promote Attunement and Bonding Between Parents, Their Babies and Toddlers
- Phillipa Perry’s The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (And Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did)
- Nathan Pyle’s Strange Planet [find it here] I love the light humour and ‘fresh (alien) eyes’ approach to the human condition in this book (and its sequel). I’ve leant it out to family, friends and colleagues during 2020 – and will likely use it in future training about perspective taking!
- Robins & Callan’s Managing Early Years Settings [find it here]
- Featherstone’s The Little Book of Outdoor Play [find it here]
- Sue Gerhardt’s Why Love Matters : How affection shapes a baby’s brain [find it here]
- Perry and Szalavitz’s Born for Love: Why Empathy Is Essential–and Endangered [find it here]
- Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence and Working with Emotional Intelligence [find it here]
- K Wall’s Special Needs and Early Years: A Practitioner’s Guide [find it here]
Older reads:
- Hillis, A. (Ed.) (2002). The Handbook of Adult Language Disorders.
- Kersner, M. & Wright, J.A. (eds) (2002). 3rd Edition How to Manage Communication Problems in Young Children.
- Law, J. and Elias, J. (1996). Trouble talking: a guide for parents of children with speech and language difficulties.
- Lewis, T., Amini, F. and Lannon, R. (2000) A General Theory of Love.
- Owens, R., Metz, D and Haas, A. (2000). Introduction to Communication Disorders: A Life Span Perspective.
- Plante, E. and Beeson, P. M. (2007). Communication and Communication Disorders: A Clinical Introduction.
- Rustin, L. et al (2001) Stammering – A Practical Guide for Teachers and Other Professionals.
- Sunderland, M. (2006) The Science of Parenting.
- Matthews, G. Zeidner, M. and Roberts, R. (2004) Emotional Intelligence: Science and Myth.
- Mayer, J.D. and Salovey, P. “The intelligence of emotional intelligence” (1993). Intelligence, 17:4. pp 433-442.
- Siraj-Blatchford, I. Sylva, K. Muttock, S. Gilden, R. and Bell, D. (2002) Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years.
- Siraj-Blatchford, I. Sylva, K. Taggart, B. Sammons, P. Melhuish, E. and Elliot, K. (2003) The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) Project: Technical Paper 10 – Intensive Case Studies of Practice Across The Foundation Stage.
- Sylva, K. and Wiltshire, J. (1993) ‘The impact of early learning on children’s later development: a review prepared for RSA inquiry “Start Right”’, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 1(1) pp.17-14
