Gifted children, more than other children, tend to engage in metacognitive thinking—or thinking about their thinking. These children do well to learn about themselves and their giftedness. This helps them to understand what’s going on in their brains and their bodies so that they don’t feel so alien when compared to their peers. It also enables them to find ways of accommodating their needs and tendencies, allowing them to find their own solutions to problems that are associated with their giftedness. All of these help gifted children toward the critical goals of achieving empowerment and self-acceptance.

We offer a few books that are appropriate not just for adults to learn about gifted children but for the children to learn about themselves. Some of them speak about giftedness directly, but some simply present giftedness in a way that allows children to see in the text points of identification, which is important for those children who might otherwise feel as though they are alone in a world that doesn’t understand them.

Books for Gifted Young Children

These books are especially good for allowing gifted children to see the benefits of their gifts, which can so often cause consternation among the adults around them and confusion and alienation from their peers. The books also offer potential solutions to problems and ways to problem-solve so that children can learn to capitalize on their strengths and direct their intensities toward positive and productive outlets.

Books for Gifted Teens and Young Adults