The Book Blawg

Birth Wisdom: A Collection of Editorials from Midwifery Today Magazine by Jan Tritten (Volumes I and II) is available free from Smashwords.

A section of Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. Start guide is available here. We've used the traffic light eating concept in our own family, and it really seems to make sense to the boys.

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God, by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald.

This is sort of the anti-feminist manifesto. I found the book inspiring, but didn't really give me anything new. The back of the book says, "Do you wrestle with cultural messages that demean the homemaker's calling and exalt instead the emotionally androgynous power-woman?" Um, no, not really. I'm pretty secure in my role as a lawyer-turned-stay-at-home-mom.

The Autism Answer Book: More Than 300 of the Top Questions Parents Ask, by William Stillman.

The ADD & ADHD Answer Book: Professional Answers to 275 of the Top Questions Parents Ask, by Susan Ashley, Ph.D.

I found both these books to be too general to be of much use. In addition, they are written from a very mainstream perspective, and ignore or only briefly mention alternative therapies and even dietary changes which have been helpful to so many people.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary review copies of these books.

Says a New York federal appeals court (AP via law.com). Jessica Seinfeld was sued for trademark and copyright violations after her book, Deceptively Delicious (reviewed here) was published about the same time as Missy Chase Lapine's The Sneaky Chef. Both cookbooks involve sneaking vegetable purees into kid's foods. Lapine also sued Jessica's husband, commedian Jerry Seinfeld, for defamation based on comments he made on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Have a New Kid by Friday: How to Change Your Child's Attitude, Behavior & Character in 5 Days, by Kevin Leman.

As parenting books go, this one's pretty good. It is similar in approach to Jim Fay's Love and Logic approach - though Love and Logic seems better suited for younger children; Have a New Kid for older children and teens. Sometimes when reading this book, however, I felt like it was directed toward completely permissive parents with completely spoiled kids. The basic principle is something that any parent with two kids and half a brain has figured out - that sooner or later, your children are going to want something from you, or need you to do something for them. And if they haven't cleaned their room or taken out the trash, you need to make it their problem, not yours. No nagging required.

There is another book in the series, Have a New Husband by Friday, which I plan to read, though I'm wary of the application of child-raising techniques to the marital relationship. Is there going to be a book How to Have a New Wife by Friday? I'm not sure that one would go over so well.

The Mommy Club, by Sarah Bird. Although I liked the author's earlier books, Alamo House and The Boyfriend School when I read them many years ago, The Mommy Club just didn't click with me.

Mommywood, by Tori Spelling. Though I found her first book, sTORI Telling, rather interesting, she just lost me with this one. I got tired of hearing her complain about how she had to work to support her family; then, for example, throwing a memorial service for her dog, or and over-the-top first birthday party for her son. Her observations about "Mommywood" would be fascinating on their own; but as a story teller, she can't quite decide whether she wants to be a part of it or not.

Molly Reads reviews three books I own and have read (though not necessarily blogged about):

Childbirth Education: Practice, Research and Theory, by Francine H. Nichols and Sharron Smith Humenick. (review)

Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding, by Naomi Baumslag, MD and Dia L. Michels. (review)

Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care, by Jennifer Block. (review)

How to Write a Children's Book and Get It Published, by Barbara Seuling.

So obviously this book is helpful if you want to write a children's book, but I also learned a lot about the history of children's literature and the publishing industry. There is also a helpful list in the Appendix of recommended children's books in each category which may be useful for parents.

In honor of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day:

Death of a Dream: Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Newborn Loss, by Donna and Rodger Ewy.

Your Pregnancy Recovery Guide, by Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler.

Read lately:

The Rookie Mom's Handbook: 250 Activities to Do with (and Without!) Your Baby, by Heather Flett and Whitney Moss - I love Quirk books; they are sturdy with such nice, thick pages - one enjoys the book even before reading a single word. The Rookie Mom's Handbook is a funny and handy guide to activities for the first year of life, organized by month. It's not going to make anyone's "must-have" parenting library list, but it would make a great baby shower or new mom gift. You can check out the authors' blog at www.rookiemoms.com.

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell. Not as great as Gladwell's Tipping Point, but still has some mind-blowing conclusions:

Babies, breastfeeding, and bonding, by Ina May Gaskin.

Out of print and hard to come by (Amazon has only 1 copy available), this 1987 book by midwifery pioneer Ina May Gaskin is a treasure. I was amazed at how much useful and accurate information is in this book, written at a time when so much advice given to women about breastfeeding was just plain wrong. Try to find it at your local library or used-book store.

This looks interesting: The 90-Minute Baby Sleep Program: Follow Your Child's Natural Sleep Rhythms for Better Nights and Naps, by Polly Moore.

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, by John Elder Robison.

This is a very interesting story of a man who did not know "what was wrong with him" until he was forty and read a description of Asperger's syndrome. Robinson is the brother of Augusten Burroughs, who wrote Running with Scissors: A Memoir, and at times Look Me in the Eye feels like half of a story.

Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food, by Jessica Seinfeld.

There has been a lot of controversy about this book, written by wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld; and a similarly-themed book, The Sneaky Chef. I didn't actually try any of these recipes, but you can read all the comments on amazon.com if you want a comparison of how the meals stack up. However, I must say that I love the styling of this book. It has a 1950s-retro feel to it, strongly reminiscent of my favorite Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls. Looks nice, but I'm not rushing out to puree cauliflower anytime soon.

The Family Manager, by Kathy Peel.

This book is full of helpful suggestions and strategies for running a household, given with a mom-as-manager attitude.

The Potty Training Answer Book, by Karen Deerwester.

My two older boys were potty trained around the age of three - give or take a few months - using the Toilet Training in Less Than A Day method (works great as long as you don't actually expect it to take only one day). So imagine my surprise when, and the age of 19 months, my third son developed an intense interest in using the potty. He started out wanting to read Once Upon a Potty over, and over, and over, again; then when I got out the little potty seat, wanted to sit on it. Maybe it is the fact that he is the first child to wear cloth diapers in our family, but he has already made the mental connection between what he feels in his body and the pee pee coming out. He has limited bladder control, meaning he can wait just a few seconds, time enough to get to the potty and for me to get his diaper off. I wasn't quite prepared to do the full-scale training just yet, so I'm not pushing it hard at this point.

The Potty Training Answer Book really does answer practically every question one might have on the subject. It doesn't espouse any particular method, but does discuss different approaches to training (or "potty learning", as some prefer to call it). Therefore, it is a good companion to "method" books like Less Than A Day, or as a reference guide if you want to develop a "Personal Potty Plan". The most helpful parts of the book were the discussion on child temperaments, and how training approaches should be customized for each temperament; and the list of resources in the back such as books, videos, games, songs, websites, and products.

It's also the sort of book that you can read all the way through, or turn to a particular section. The beginning of each chapter lists all the "questions" answered in that chapter, which make the answers easy to find. On a completely coincidental note, the author, Karen Deerwester, is the parenting expert for Bluesuitmom.com, a website started by Maria T. Bailey whose book, Marketing to Moms, I just read and reviewed.

MORE THAN MANNERS! Raising Today's Kids to Have Kind Manners and Good Hearts, by Letitia Baldrige.

I guess I though this book was going to tell me how to teach my kids to use the correct fork or something. But it is more than manners; teaching children to be kind, developing courage, good character, and so forth. The author goes into such neglected topics as when to be polite to strangers and when to walk - or run - away; how to set ground rules for a blended family; what to say to someone who has suffered a loss. What I liked best about this book was that it gave not just the why of civilized behavior, but the how of teaching these character traits to children.

Bright From the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind fromBirth to Age 3, by Jill Stamm, Ph.D.

I really didn't read this book, just skimmed it, but saw enough to recommend it. Stamm writes in the introduction:

What the science tells us is this:

1. What babies need is simpler than you might think.
2. But they need it more consistently and earlier than we often provide it.
3. My recommendations for early care are within every parent's ability to provide, regardless of your resources.
4. In face, they're as easy to learn as ABC. The cornerstones of what a bright, happy baby or toddler needs are Attention, Bonding, and Communication.

Tanya at the Motherwear Breastfeeding blog posts a nice review of Dr. James McKenna's new book, Sleeping with Your Baby. She's also giving away a copy, if you hurry.