For more than 25 years, we have trusted the Hanen Centre to provide us with resources to assist speech-language pathologists, families, educators and child care providers in enhancing children's language development and social interactions. The latest edition of It Takes Two to Talk: A Practical Guide for Parents of Children with Language Delays continues in the tradition of excellence we have come to expect from the professionals at Hanen.

With rich multicultural illustrations, this edition is as appealing to the eye as it is educational. The format and language is easy enough for parents to understand, yet provides a wealth of information and techniques valuable to parents and professionals alike.

This edition of It Takes Two to Talk, by Jan Pepper, MCISc, and Elaine Weitzman, MEd, is based on the first and second editions by Ayala Hanen Manolson. The book brings the reader from the very foundations of early communication, with body movements and cries, all the way to the use of phrases and short sentences by the early talker. Techniques are given to support each level of communication and to advance it to the next level. Methods are provided to implement each technique in various settings for children, including the home. Simple memory devices help adults remember what to do, such as OWL, a strategy to use in an interaction with a child to pave the way for a communicative exchange that encourages us to observe, wait and listen.

This updated version of an already great book takes into consideration the latest research and evidence-based practice showing that children learn best in the context of relationships and through their daily routines. The reader will enjoy the inclusion of checklists to ascertain such things as a child's play skills level. Charts listing strategies to foster language development in activities such as outdoor play, water play, ball play, tower building and Playdough® play will be helpful to families.

Of particular interest is the new focus on building literacy. An entire chapter is devoted to sharing books with children. Parents are encouraged to use books at all levels of development. Reading stories, of course, is one of the techniques, but other strategies are given for sharing books across the stages, based on the understanding level of the child.  Children are especially drawn to books they have helped create or books about them and ideas are given for making each.

It Takes Two to Talk continues to enforce the basic premise of the Hanen Centre's that parents can facilitate their child's development. This book is a must for any professional who wants to foster these skills in parents and other care givers.

Florence Hornbeck-Kaiser, MEd, is an Early Intervention Specialist with The Resource Exchange in Colorado Springs, CO. It Takes Two to Talk is available from the Hanen Centre at www.hanen.org.