Books For Parents
Parenting at all ages is both challenging and richly rewarding. Here is a list of parenting books we at The Children’s Learning Center recommend you explore. We have included all age groups. We also thank Barbara Meltz for her reviews.Family Writes, Parenting with Pens, Pencils and PCs
By Joel Epstein and Peggy Epstein (Capital Books, 2005)
A thin paperback engagingly written, it’s a no-brainer that I would love it because its premise is for families to have fun, feel closer, and communicate better through writing activities. If it helps hone kids’ writing skills in the process, well, that’s just part of the fun.
In the chapter titled ‘Celebrate with Words,’ thereâ’s a ritual for New Year’s Day called The Prediction Jar. “Gain some insight into your children’s thoughts by seeing what they have to say about the future,” the authors suggest. They start by giving everyone a preprinted sheet of paper with blanks to fill in next to questions such as: “Which member of the family will grow the most? How much snow will fall this year? On what day will we have the hottest summer temperature?” Hopefully you’ll have more imaginative ideas, but here’s the fun part: The answers go into an empty jar. The lid gets glued on. Next New Year’s Day, you smash open the jar with a hammer (inside a grocery carton), and take turns reading the predictions. It’s hard to imagine there won’t be laughs to share.
Here are some books we consider the best of the best. They hold up over time and are worthy of any parents’ library:
If you read only one book when your child is an infant, go for:
Touchpoints
By T. Berry Brazelton (Da Capo, 1992)
And in the toddler and preschool years, make it:
Touchpoints Three to Six
By T. Berry Brazelton (Perseus, 2001) Co-authored with Joshua Sparrow.
The Happiest Toddler on the Block
By Harvey Karp (Bantam/Dell, 2004)
Which follows his:
Happiest Baby
By Harvey Karp
His approach can get a little tiresome (view your toddler as a little Neanderthal and yourself as a prehistoric parent) but the strategies are sound.
Of all the books on sibling issues:
Loving Each One Best, A Caring and Practical Approach to Raising Siblings
By Nancy Samalin (Bantam, 1997)
Tops my list, both for its sympathetic tone and solid advice.
You’ll head off a lot of battles over the years if you read these books when your children are toddlers:
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk
By Adele Faber and Elaine Madish (Collins 1999)
Don’t be put off by its publication date, it’s still one of the best parenting books. Covers a lot of ground (birth to 18) and is filled with specific, helpful strategies.
The War Play Dilemma, What Every Parent and Teacher Needs to Know
By Diane E. Levin and Nancy Carlsson- Page and Elizabeth Weil (Teachers College,2005)
It’s invaluable for parents who struggle with making sense of the violent images in our media that children are exposed to.
Take Charge of Your Child’s Sleep
By Judy A. Owens and Jodi A. Mindell (Marlowe, 2005)
I’s my new favorite book on sleep, although I eagerly await the new edition…
Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems
By Richard Ferber (Simon and Schuster – due in March 2006)
Your Baby’s First Year Week by Week
By Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler (DaCapo, 2005)
Waking Up Dry, A Guide to Help Children Overcome Bedwetting
By Howard J. Bennet (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2005)
The What’s Happening to My Body? Book for Girls/Boys
By Lynda Madaras (Newmarket, 2000)
Your Child’s Growing Mind, Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence – Third Edition
By Jane M. Healy (Broadway, 2004)
Becoming A Family, Promoting Healthy Attachments with your Adopted Child
By Lark Eshleman (Taylor, 2003)
Working Mother’s Guide to Life
By Linda Mason (Three Rivers Press, 2002)
Nurturing The Shy Child, Practical Help for Raising Confident and Socially Skilled Kids and Teens
By Barbara Markway and Gregory Markway (St. Martine/Thomas Dunne Books, 2005)
These books are a sympathetic treatment to a plaguing problem. But is it your problem or your child’s? These authors do a good job of helping you sort that out.
How To Talk So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk
Mazlish (Collins, 2005)
A book for parents and teenagers
Best Friends, Worst Enemies, Understanding the Social Lives of Children
By Michael Thompson,Catherine O’Neill Grace and Lawrence Cohen (Balantine, 2001)
Every school-age child struggles of one kind or another.
Raising Lifelong Learners, A Parent’s Guide
By Lucy Calkins (Addison Wesley, 1997)
Her argument is cogent: As parents, we are our children’s first and most important teachers. Who wants to leave that influence up to chance?
Consuming Kids, Protecting Our Children from the Onslaught of Marketing and Advertising
By Susan Linn (Anchor, 2005)
Explores raising children in a time and culture that places a high value on consumerism:Kidnapped, How Irresponsible Marketers are Stealing The Minds of Your Children
By Daniel Acuff and Robert ReiherGrowing Up Too Fast, The Rimm Report on the Secret World of America’s Middle Schoolers
By Sylvia Rimm (Rodale, 2005)
It’s based on a survey of 5,400 middle-schoolers and is as well grounded in developmental theory as it is in the real-life world of middle schools today.
Staying Connected to Your Teenager
By Michael Riera (Perseus, 2003)
It’s a big help in understanding what fuels your teen’s behavior
You Can’t Say You Can’t Play
By Vivian Gussin Paley (Harvard Press, 1992)
They Don’t Like Me, Lessons Bullying and Teasing from a Preschool Classroom
By Jane Katch (Beacon, 2004)
Two slim volumes, memoirs of sorts, about the social relationships of preschoolers.
Crib Notes, A Random Reference for the Modern Parent
By Amy Mania (Broadway)
Isn’t due out until February, but judging by the gallerys it’ll be a keeper. ??
“Boy Crazy! Keeping your daughters feet on the Ground When Her Head is in the Clouds”
By:Charlene Giannetti and Margaret Sagarese (Broadway)
The Roller-Coaster Years
By Charlene Giannetti and Margaret Sagarese (Broadway, 1997)
Was among the first books to specifically address middle-school issues, and probably still is the best.
Stressed Out Girls, Helping Them Thrive in the Age of Pressure
By Roni Cohen-Sandler (Viking, 2005)
Based on 3,000 interviews, it’s up-to-the-minute, relevant, and readable.
Parent Savvy, Straight Answers to Your Family’s Financial, Legal and Practical Questions
By Nihara IK. Choudhri (Nolo, 2005)
Combines with babycenter.com to offer an unusual mixture of parenting and legal/financial advice.
Put Yourself in Their Shoes, Understanding How your Children See the World
By Barbara Meltz (Bantam/Dell, 1999)