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Overview:
Wondering if you can teach your child a second language, but
don’t know where to begin? This book will get you jump
started. Whether you are fluent in a second language or
consider repeating after Dora to be the extent of your skills,
this book will guide you in offering your child the invaluable
lifetime advantage that knowing a second language will bring.
Borrow or Buy:
Are you serious about language learning? Buy it. This book
offers a useful compendium of websites, nifty worksheets, and
advice and suggestions along the way that you will want to refer
to again and again as your child develops—like whether to buy
baby the latest talking doll or how to motivate a typically
indifferent teenager. If nothing else, spotting The
Bilingual Edge on your bookshelf will remind you that you
haven’t sung that German lullaby you memorized in weeks.
Comments:
From the science debunking the “Top Ten Myths of Language
Learning” to a how to start a language playgroup, this book is a
wealth of information. The “Quick Tips” and “Useful Points To
Remember” smattering the pages of the book mean even a
time-pressed mom can be stirred into action. While this book
won’t actually teach your child to order McDonald’s in
Swahili, it will do everything else you need to give your child
the “bilingual edge”.
Reviewed
by:
Susanne Wherley
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Overview:
A stirring invocation, this book addresses the unmet needs of
mothers and families in America, specifically Maternity/Paternity
Leave, Open Flexible Work, TV We Choose and Other
After School Programs, Healthcare for All Kids, Excellent
Childcare, and Realistic and Fair Wages, and charts a course
for change.
Borrow or Buy:
Buy it! Read it! Pass it along to a friend! You
may also begin reading it online
here.
Comments:
"Women shouldn't be discriminated against simply because they
are mothers...but they are!" reads the back cover of The Motherhood
Manifesto.
When my pregnancy became visible, my employer replaced my public
speaking duties with in-house office duties because my "motherly"
appearance did not fit the company's image. I was also
encouraged to withdraw my application for a promotion because it
required long hours and a commitment they weren't sure a new mother
could handle. Although I was offered a part-time position
following my unpaid maternity leave, the reduction in hours meant
the loss of medical benefits. And after researching local
daycare facilities, I discovered that the cost would be greater than
my income. Additionally, the idea of putting my new baby in
daycare was frightening in and of itself. What kind of care
would she receive? My husband and I moved in with my parents
so we could afford for me to stay home with our daughter.
Countless other mothers face the same obstacles I did.
It's time for a change. This book is a giant first step.
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Overview:
A fast and entertaining read, this book is written for the
on-the-go mom who is likely reading during stolen moments in the
bathroom. It contains twelve strategies, with a chapter
dedicated to each one, for battling the burn out that comes from
running too far on too little for too long. Every chapter is
capped off with ideas for implementing the strategies in your life,
a scripture and prayer, and simple, reflective questions.
Borrow or Buy:
Buy it!
Comments:
This book is full of so many hilarious and relatable stories, I
was constantly calling my husband, "Hey, come listen to this part."
I guess you could say, I read it twice all at once. Jenn
Doucette is disarmingly down-to-earth and wildly funny, all the
while offering sincere advice from experience and a piece of her
heart.
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Overview:
This trenchant text provides an explanation of the basic needs
of children, the minimum experience and nurturing required for a
healthy childhood. Each need is identified and explored with
suggestions for how families, child care workers, educators, and
government may meet those needs along with suggestions for
improvement on each level. Neither a light read nor a how-to
parenting manual, this books focuses on the overall attitude
regarding the care of children in our world.
Borrow or Buy:
Buy.
Comments:
If you are a parent who has ever wondered if you are doing it
right or doing the right things enough, this book is for you.
Are you spending enough time with your child? How much time is
enough? What should you be doing during that time? This
book will tell you. And if you're a parent that is concerned
with more than getting through the day to day act of parenting, if
you care about how raising your child will impact things in your
community, and in your world, not just today, but tomorrow, too then
this is a book to get excited about.
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Overview:
For some women, the transition into motherhood is smooth and
seamless, the fulfillment of a maternal manifest destiny. Not
so for Amy Crane. Since the birth of her daughter six months
earlier, Amy's life has been in a tailspin. She's feeling exhausted,
unattractive and invisible. To make matters worse, she's
pretty sure that her boyfriend Joe has been unfaithful.
As she mourns the loss of her former life, Amy attempts to navigate
the social world of modern motherhood. Feeling a bit of an
outsider with the severely dedicated, vanity-sacrificing moms in her
childbirth group, she is intrigued by the sexy, sophisticated "yummy
mummy" image her new friend Alice embodies.
Desperate to reclaim her pre-pregnancy self, Amy enlists Alice's
help to make herself visible again. Once Amy joins the ranks
of the "yummy mummies," things get a bit more complicated and Amy
must decide what's really important.
Borrow or Buy:
Buy.
Comments:
Having immersed myself in parenting books for the last two
years, The Yummy Mummy was a breath of fresh air. It's
an entertaining, yet thought-provoking read that brilliantly
captures the big bang that is new motherhood. Polly Williams
introduces us to her heroine after the point of impact and shows us
that it can be the end or a new beginning.
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Overview:
Simple and straightforward, this book provides new mothers with
helpful hints and advice from moms who have been there. It is
a quick read and a ready reference for new moms with little time on
their hands. Space is provided throughout
for making notes, and a developmental chart for recording milestones
month by month is also included.
Borrow or Buy:
Buy! It's the perfect gift for that new or expectant mom on
your Christmas list!
Comments:
Hey moms! You don't have to learn everything the hard way.
Moms' Lifesavers will make your life easier. Oh, how I wish I'd had this book when my daughter was
born! It covers everything from breastfeeding and
babysitters to pacifiers and potty training. A must-have for
new moms.
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Overview:
Few parents expect or desire to raise a child with Down
syndrome. Yet many who travel this path discover rich, unexpected
rewards along the way. In this candid and poignant collection of
personal stories, sixty-three mothers describe the gifts of respect,
strength, delight, perspective, and love which their child with Down
syndrome has brought into their lives. Their diverse
experiences point to a common truth: the life of a child with Down
syndrome is something to celebrate.
Borrow or Buy:
Buy. Profits from book sales will benefit the Gifts Outreach
Program.
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Overview:
This book provides advice for "getting your child to do what you
want." Common toddler problems are posed as questions from
parents and the authors respond with multiple suggestions, citing
that children are different and one solution will not fit every
child. The questions are grouped into eleven chapters that
range from "Giving Things Up" to "Getting Some Sleep."
Borrow or Buy:
Borrow. It's worth reading.
Comments:
I passed over this book a number of times at the library before
I actually picked it up because the title (particularly the word
"outwitting") just didn't sit well with me. The claim,
"Getting your child to do what you want - without bribes, threats,
or tears" on the front cover was what changed my mind. I'm
glad I did. The book offers some great advice. The reader
should beware, however, that it doesn't live up to the claim on the
cover. The authors do suggest bribes as an effective
outwitting technique in some situations and even dedicate four pages
to "Bribery, The Right Way." Beyond that, the book offers some
creative solutions that a busy parent may not have time to dream up.
The wisdom shared by experienced parents is often useful and that's
exactly what this book provides. The writing is light, the
suggestions are realistic and a focus on fun is reiterated
throughout.
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Review:
It has always amazed me that the person who wrote The Haunting of Hill House and The Lottery could also write two of the funniest
books I've ever read about raising children. I read these
books when I was a teenager and they convinced me that children are
the best thing that could happen to anybody.
The books are dated. Life Among the Savages was written in
1953. Raising Demons was written in 1957.
I've always thought that the basic premise of these books were that
two intelligent adults with careers could find themselves stumped by
four small human beings.
The oldest child is a boy's boy. He is into baseball, dirt,
and dogs. The second daughter is all about being a dancer or a
princess. The third child - a daughter - can do magic.
The youngest child - another boy - has the ultimate imagination.
Together, these four children are the center of a wonderfully
intricate story about the journey of a family from living in an
apartment to a huge old house in the country.
I recommend these two books - they are a great, laugh-out-loud read.
Reviewed
by:
Georgina John
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Overview:
This complete child development guide will help parents
understand how their child learns and what they can do to foster
that child's
mental, physical and social skills from birth to age six. Each
chapter focuses on a skill set (e.g. Learning to be creative,
Acquiring a sense of self), explaining what a child can do at a
given age and offering parents information and activities to
facilitate development. Charts, sidebars, subtopics and
photographs make this an interesting and useful reference tool. Borrow or Buy:
Buy it.
Comments:
Parents often wonder, "Is my child developing normally? Is
he behind? Is she advanced? Am I doing all I can to help
my child fulfill his potential?" This book provides answers. I
discovered Learning Early when my daughter was about a year old. I wish I had found it sooner!
While I struggled to read it cover to cover, I refer to it
regularly. It has been an invaluable resource I wouldn't want
to be without.
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