Language Strategies for Little Ones (1998). By Michele Fagan and Vicki Prouty. Thinking Publications, 424 Galloway St., Eau Claire, WI 54703. 270 pages, $39. Reviewed by Karen Wilson, Albuquerque, NM.

This wire-bound manual contains the philosophy of the program, instructions for each lesson, and reproducible black-line masters. The activities are designed for students in kindergarten and first grade, in settings ranging from small groups to general education classrooms. The program is described as an ideal tool for an inclusion model of service delivery. However, it can be adapted for one-to-one remediation. The program is designed for use by all educators of young children. The primary purpose of the program is to increase skills in three areas: language comprehension, oral expression, and story grammar knowledge. An appealing frog character named Einstein ties the lessons together and is featured in the graphics. Using a frog puppet is recommended but is not necessary. Five communication skills newsletters for parents and a limited number of homework pages are also included.

This manual is a useful resource for speech-language pathologists and educators who work with children with language and/or learning disabilities. The range of skills covered is quite extensive. The program's goals would best be achieved in a situation where the classroom teacher reinforces the lessons by highlighting the concepts in the classroom on a daily basis. The visual materials are one of the strongest components of the program and would be useful in almost any kindergarten or first-grade classroom.

Many of the activities require advance preparation of materials such as copying and coloring pictures or gathering materials such as art prints and books. Most often the preparation would be 15 minutes to an hour. The instructions for each activity are clear and easy to follow. Hints are provided that could be helpful to beginning educators. The activities are well grounded in learning theory and are relevant and interesting to children. This program would be most effective for students whose language impairment is considered moderate to mild.

In summary, this text is a worthy addition to the materials collection of speech-language pathologists who work with children in the primary grades. Well-designed activities are complemented by reproducible materials and linked to children's books that are referenced for easy access. Most lessons require advance preparation of materials and additional skill practice will be needed for most of the concepts presented.