I first read this in the 1990s when we were in the United States for a couple of years; at the time it was eye-opening, describing as it does a family educating their children at home. Published in the 1980s, it was something of a milestone in an era when homeschooling, even in the US, was mostly unknown and in many cases highly regulated.

The book is written well, outlining both day-to-day life and the family's philosophy of parenting and education, which inevitably grows and changes along with the children. There are sections on maths, reading and also music, which was of immense importance to the children. The parents learn to relax, as their children learn in a mixture of leaps and plateaux.

Inevitably the book is now somewhat dated. The legalities have changed, and there are far more facilities for home educating families in the US. Widespread use of technology has changed the way most families live, and has increased significantly the available resources.

However, the way the family's son Ishmael struggled with the regulations and expectations of classroom education is relevant to many, and the authors' honesty about their own mistakes is refreshing. As a piece of home education history, and as an interesting picture of family life, this is well worth reading. ( )