Books for Parents Who Care About Their Kids

Raising Respectful Kids in a Rude World: Teaching Your Children the Power of Mutual Respect and Consideration by Gary D. McKay

(Added 3/20/07) This book is only available used. I was able to find a copy through my state's library-sharing system. Just as we grew up in a different world from our parents, now our kids are growing up in a world filled with different technology and attitudes from what we experienced. Read this book to learn that it's not just about raising kids to say PLEASE and THANK YOU (although that still is important); it's about raising kids to respect themselves and others.1 point

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

(Added 3/20/07) This book is inspiring. My husband and I already make sure that our kids play outside, get muddy, go on family adventure hikes, work in the garden, and watch the birds and squirrles eat from the feeders we put up, but we still watch more tv than is good for us. Read this book to learn how society has changed how kids interact with nature, if they even interact at all, and why it is so imperative to get kids off the couch and back outside.1 point

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber

(Added 3/20/07) I learned more about myself than my kids when I read this book. I have already experienced improved cooperation by giving my daughter more opportunities to make choices, even as simple as choosing which color cup to use at dinner time. Practicing responses in advance really does work. I find myself asking my daughter WHAT WOULD BE THE NICE THING TO DO? - the result is her telling herself the right thing to do to solve the problem!1 point

Coloring Outside the Lines by Roger Schank

(Added 3/20/07) I first read this book two years ago, but recently re-read it now that my daughter is in preschool. Whether you like your school or not, do not forget that you are your children's most important teacher! Do you want to see the spark of interest in their eyes or hear the excitement in their voices as they tell you something fascinating? Read this book if you want to help your children discover what they love to learn.1 point

Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto

(Added 4/2/07) Although this book focuses on the negative issues with public education, you can use it in a positive way to help you evaluate and prioritize what is important to you while exploring the educational options available for your children.1 point

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

(Added 5/8/07) This book goes way beyond making you think twice before ordering lunch from a drive-thru window. You'll also get an education in small-business history, big-business take-overs, marketing strategies targeting kids, job availability for teenagers and adults, population growth and urban development, adult and childhood obesity problems, and the workings of a slaughter-house.1 point

Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys by Dan Kindlon

(Added 7/9/07) This book uses many brief case studies to illustrate the many ways boys interact and show their emotions. Since the case studies are mostly about boys of school age and my son is only approaching his 2nd birthday, this is the type of book I'll plan to re-read every year or so. A documentary based on this book was made recently, but I have not yet seen it.1 point

How Children Learn (Classics in Child Development) by John Holt

(Added 10/3/07) The original content of John Holt's book is his very detailed observations of children exploring and learning as a result of their own curiosity during the 1960s. The book was then revised in the early 1980s with Holt inserting paragraphs throughout the book with updated information on learning theories, his retrospective analysis of his original content, and his opinion of common teaching practices that work against the natural learning style of children.1 point

Things Will Be Different for My Daughter: A Practical Guide to Building Her Self-Esteem and Self-Reliance by Mindy Bingham

(Added 4/9/07) I ordered my own copy of this book the day I had to return it to the library! I want to write notes in the margins and underline sentences! The authors will help you develop a plan to be the parent you want to be for your daughter. Even if you love the way your parents raised you, read this book because your daughter's world is not the same one you experienced as a child or a teen.0 points

The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn

(Added 6/27/07) I once read a review of this book that said it was full of tips of what to do with dryer lint - CLEARLY this person did NOT read the book! This book is packed with amazing money-saving tips, projects, and thought-provoking articles. This book will appeal to those who want to save money AND be environmentally-friendly as you reduce, reuse, and recyle.0 points

10-Minute Life Lessons for Kids: 52 Fun and Simple Games and Activities to Teach Your Child Honesty, Trust, Love, and Other Important Values by Jamie C. Miller

(Added 9/27/07) A good resource of hands-on activities for children to learn values. Tips are given to adapt each activity for younger and older children. Activities are listed by the values they promote (i.e. trust, needs vs. wants,...) and can be done in any order.0 points

Preschool Confidential by Sandi Kahn Shelton

(Added 10/2/07) Read this to keep your sense of HUMOR! There were times while reading this book that I wondered if this author had been in my house when she wrote this section! You'll know you are not alone when you try to understand the behavior of your children! As a sincere compliment to the author, I would call her a modern-day Erma Bombeck (Yes, I was a teenager in the 80's who would read anything, including my mom's copies of Erma Bombeck books!).0 points

Dematerializing: Taming the Power of Possessions by Jane Hammerslough

(Added 10/29/07) The perfect book for me to read as I am trying to clear clutter out of the house and as the gift-giving holidays rapidly approach. I feel much more focused on my priorities now that I have finished reading this book.0 points

A Mind at a Time by Mel Levine

(Added 1/31/08) Easy to read and understand so that you can hold your own in a conversation about individual learning styles. A must to read for any parent who is frustrated if their child is not showing "progress" in school according to the school's standards.0 points

Never Say Never: The Survival Journal (CAMPUS EDITION) by LaVonda M Gollner

(Book submitted by another reader on 9/13/07). Hav more...0 points

(Book submitted by another reader on 9/13/07). Having not read this book, I checked out Amazon's review and this book is designed for your child to fill out so that you, as parents, have a resource including information about your child's friends and places that he or she frequently visits. The author was motivated to create this book after several incidents of young women being abducted that have been covered in the media over recent years.0 points

My Feet Aren't Ugly!: A Girl's Guide to Loving Herself from the Inside Out by Debra Beck

(Book submitted by its author on 12/17/07). I am g more...0 points

(Book submitted by its author on 12/17/07). I am going to get a copy of this book because I want to be prepared with proper responses if my daughter ever starts to make discouraging statements regarding her looks.0 points

Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual Spatial Learner by Linda Kreger Silverman

An essential read for anyone who wants to better u more...0 points

An essential read for anyone who wants to better understand the minds of visual spatial learners, which work VERY differently than auditory-sequential learners (for whom traditional learning methods are geared). This book really helped me understand and respect my sons' learning styles!0 points