"Too much early schooling can have a detrimental effect upon a child's education." That, in a nutshell, is one half of Martin Williams's thesis. The other is that the children of parents who can read, write and do basic arithmetic do not need to go to school to acquire these skills.
Following such educational theorists as Steiner, Montessori and Froebel, Williams insists that play is central and that children will not learn until they are ready. That, he argues, explains the widespread failure of primary-school children to master reading, writing and arithmetic.
Teaching reading to five-year-olds is too soon, he says. It puts off some children to such an extent that they never catch up. "Reading problems would undoubtedly be reduced if the Continental practice of teaching reading at the age of six or seven were followed." Even that, though, is unnecessary. "If you have filled your child's life with interesting and stimulating books, you will not have to teach them to read. They will teach themselves in the same way that they learnt to talk."
Similarly, teaching children to write before they are ready leads many to see it as an arduous and unpleasant chore. As for maths: "If a child is not ready for a new mathematical idea, then no amount of extra help is going to make them understand it."
It would be wrong, though, to conclude that Williams is opposed to academic rigour. When the time is right - usually at the age of seven or eight - he wants parents to help their children to learn good handwriting.
Homework  he sees as a waste of time for young children. As it is, "children spend far more hours at school than is good for them or than is necessary to cover the school curriculum". The simplest solution is to do the homework for them.
The best way of compensating children for the inadequacies of the school system is spending time with them on gardening, cooking, crafts, drawing and music, Williams believes.
Underlying all this is a cardinal principle. "Most of us believe that, in order to teach a child properly, we have to behave like a school teacher, with us explaining things and our children listening obediently," he says. In fact: "One has to make learning a continuation of play and you can only do this if you have a good rapport with your child through other activities that you do together."
Even parents unconvinced by Williams's hostility to formal schooling for young children will find much in his book - charmingly illustrated by his children - to challenge, enlighten and guide them.

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