The Silent Guides: How to understand and develop children's emotions,

Ok for parents / carers of kids but not an additional read if you’ve read the Chimp Paradox.

Firstly I am a big fan of Steve Peter's books as I have benefited a lot from reading them and applying what I've learned. That is still work in progress so I make no startling claims, the books provide some excellent ideas and effort can then make a difference over time. I started with the Chimp Paradox book which helped me understand how my brain can sometimes effectively be hijacked in a manner which I do not want. Understanding that allowed me to start to manage that better, at least some of the time. Typically I get better with time and practice but not always! Reading the Hidden Chimp book made things extremely simple. It's brilliant as a primer for adults and potentially brilliant for helping children understand themselves (I've not tried that yet). It helped me realise why I behaved in certain ways at certain times during my childhood and it made me happy and sad as a result. It was really eye opening for me, I wish I'd had access to it as a child. (I suspect my parents would have benefited too if we could have worked through it together :-) This book is a brilliant bridge between the other two books . It has some of the simplicity of the Hidden Chimp making it extremely accessible. It has lots of practical content that builds on that book. As a result I think the Silent Guides is a powerful means to understand one's own thinking and to start to change it in some areas. Therefore it helped me get more out of the Chimp Paradox book, albeit looking back as I read that book first. Unfortunately my experience is that it requires effort. Steve Peters is at pains in various places to say that no one size will fit all and that any reader needs to find what resonates for them. I agree, I'd be surprised if readers did not find parts brilliant, seemingly irrelevant etc. My experience is that finding somewhere to start can sometimes be the hardest but most crucial stage. Once begun you may like me find that you can and want to build on initial steps. In summary, I'd read the Hidden Chimp first, then this book then the Chimp Paradox in that order if coming to things for the first time. It is easy to dismiss some of what's said as too simplistic etc. Doing so risks missing out - at least in my view. Passively reading any of the books might be helpful, but thinking about them, doing the exercise etc. has been really effective for me, albeit time and effort were required. That said, I am delighted with what I've learned and the benefits I think I have gained so far. My best suggestion is to use the 'look inside' the book functionality on the Amazon site when you have a few minutes and are feeling relaxed and receptive. A skim read could give you something but a more thoughtful one could tell you whether the book is for you (or not).

I am a pretty slow reader and am easily put off. This book is easy to read and understand. You can pick it up and put it down if you are time limited. Great and very helpful.

Really enjoyed reading this book. It makes you see your child's behaviour in a whole new light. Rather than finding my children's tantrums truly irritating, I now take on board the fact there is a Chimp taking over their immature brains. I now have more patience and understanding when the tantrums hit. Unless, of course, I am in a busy supermarket ;-)

It is a good book, just wish it was more clear on who it is aimed at. I bought it in thinking that it’s for adults but upon reading, it’s clearly aimed at children. It would be excellent if you have kids, I don’t, as there is a lot of good information that actually could help. However, it’s not all bad because I did learn a few things and I really like the chimp model.