I am sent so many books to review that I can only pick a few each month to highlight. Below, are my top three picks for April:
Healthy Child Healthy World – Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home by Christopher Gavigan
Christopher Gavigan, the author, is a parent and the CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World a nonprofit with the following mission: “We are igniting a movement that inspires parents to protect young children from harmful chemicals”. The nonprofit and the book begin with the premise that at the end of the day, all parents have one simple desire: a happy and healthy child. I agree with that. Since I have been focusing on “green” ideas and such this month, I’ve been amazed by the conversations (both actual and via email) revealing how much moms really are thinking about and trying to make little changes day by day to make their home environments safer for their kids.
This book will help. At the beginning, it shares some facts about environmental exposures that can be disconcerting (i.e. about cancer, asthma, autism, etc.). For the most part though, the book is upbeat and user friendly. It includes expert opinions, tips to making a series of minor but significant changes, and “Parentblog” sections where various parents share what they’re doing in order to create non-toxic homes and to safeguard their families. What I especially like is that the book addresses every step of development – from preparing for baby to their food, toys, clothing, etc. when they are older. Advice for adults (i.e. cleaning, beauty products, etc.) and even pets (“raising a green pet”) is also included in this valuable book.
I Brake for Meltdowns: How to Handle the Most Exasperating Behavior of your 2- to 5-Year-Old by Michelle Nicholasen and Barbara O’Neal
I like that this book starts with the premise that every child has meltdowns of various types. I think that helps moms to approach the various topics in an empowered manner. (Sometimes parenting authors can make you feel like there’s something wrong with you when your kid acts up!) Written in a straightforward, parent-friendly way, this book is full of practical tips for what to do when your kid encounters a variety of situations. The major areas covered are: (public and private) meltdowns, lack of social graces (i.e. regarding speaking to and playing with others), sleep issues, eating challenges, potty training, fighting, anger; manipulation, travel issues, health and hygiene, annoying refusals and some other random issues. Whew – that’s a lot! Fortunately, it’s broken down by chapter and topic, so that you can easily go back and get input on whatever issue you’re tackling at the moment.
Personally, I think that every kid is different and acts out in different ways – even within the same families. For instance, my older son Michael is relatively mild-natured. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen him have a fall-out in the floor, kicking tantrum. So, when Sean did the falling out in the floor/yelling/screaming/etc., I literally thought something was wrong with him. I’m not using the term lightly, but I feared that he had autism or something, because his emotions were so intense and he was unresponsive to my attempts to calm him. (In my mind, I used to joke that if Sean ever had a full meltdown tantrum in public, I’d walk away and act like I was looking for his “real” mom.) Fortunately, that phase only lasted for a few months, but it’s reassuring to read that your kid is normal even when they’re yelling on the floor like a banshee. From the tone of this book, it’s obvious that the authors of this book are mothers themselves. Michelle has five kids and her co-author Barbara (a mother and grandmother) is the director of a preschool in the Boston area. As a mother, I recommend this book. It’s is very helpful and I intend to keep it as part of my parenting resources library.
The Mom’s Guide to Growing Your Family Green: Saving the Earth Begins at Home by Terra Wellington
There are a lot of decisions to make in regards to “going green”. This book will help moms to make some of those choices regarding what is best for their families and the environment. The author, Terra Wellington, is a mom of three who covers information about healthy living and the environment on her blog MomsAndThePlanet.com.
I like books that help you to take away practical steps that you can apply to your daily life. This is one of them. Each chapter covers a specific green topic: energy; water and lighting; ways to green the various rooms in your house; cleaning; gardening; being a green consumer (food, clothing, etc.); transportation and play; being green in the workplace; and doing something to make your larger community greener. There are action plans, benefits to making the various suggested changes, how-to advice and checklists throughout. On a visual note, I like how the author uses the color green to highlight especially important “chunks” of text. It gives the eye a nice break. Anyway, back to the content – this is an easy to apply guide filled with hundreds of green tips. There’s something for everyone to start doing their part in saving the earth!
(To see what others are reading, visit What’s on Your Nightstand.)
