IT'S SAID THAT YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. But how about You are what you read? The way we see the world is influenced by the ideas we ingest; if you're like me, you want only what provides the best nutrition--what enriches your life. And when it comes to parenting, there's a lot of junk food on the market--information based on fear, not evidence. At Mothering, we read labels; we check out the contents of a book before putting it on our media menu. We hope you find the selections below tasty and satisfying.
In Blessingways: A Guide to Mother-Centered Baby Showers, Shari Maser, CCE, offers ideas on how to create a meaningful ritual for a mother-to-be--from footbaths to birth necklaces, from belly casting to fine feasting. Included is a resource section of organizations and websites as well as helpful books, magazines, and videos. (Moondance Press, 2004)
Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives: A Holistic Guide to Pregnancy and Birth, by Deepak Chopra, MD, David Simon, MD, and Vicki Abrams, CCE, IBCLC, applies the spiritually nourishing principles of Ayurvedic medicine and the sensibility of Western science to conception, pregnancy, and postpartum care. This gently written book also offers valuable insight into how couples can effectively communicate, and how one might best meet a pregnant partner's needs. (Three Rivers Press, 2005)
In Adventures in Natural Childbirth: Tales from Women on the Joys, Fears, Pleasures, and Pains of Giving Birth Naturally, edited by Janet Schwegel, 39 women share inspiring accounts of unmedicated births--even hypnobirths. Stories are organized according to attending caregivers: physicians, midwives, and doulas, with the last chapter dedicated to unassisted births. It's just what the doctor--or midwife--ordered for prospective natural birthers needing a dose of encouragement. (Marlowe & Company, 2005)
Babywearing: The Benefits and Beauty of This Ancient Tradition, by Maria Blois, MD, is an excellent, comprehensive manual on how to wear your baby. The book compares slings, provides detailed instructions for various sling positions, and includes an extensive resource list. (Pharmasoft Publishing, 2005)
Baby-Gami: Baby Wrapping for Beginners, by Andrea Sarvady, teaches how to swaddle and sling your baby in creative style. Crisp photographs by Bill Milne capture the bright, boldly colored fabrics used for the author's artful, fun designs. Check out the "gift wrap." a satiny swaddle complete with a bow for special occasions (right). (Chronicle Books, 2005)
For The Breastfeeding Cafe Mothers Share the Joys, Challenges, & Secrets of Nursing, Barbara L. Behrmann, PhD, interviewed women across the country about their unique breastfeeding experiences. Interviewees discuss the gamut of this complex relationship, from adjusting to night feedings to navigating spousal sexual relationships. The intimate anecdotes offer emotional validation not found in how-to breastfeeding books. (University of Michigan Press, 2005)
Talking to Babies: Psychoanalysis on a Maternity Ward, by Myriam Szejer, MD, is a fascinating account of an innovative French psychoanalyst who dispels newborns' troubling physical symptoms by discussing--with the babies themselves--difficult family issues, about which the infants seem very aware. (Beacon Press, 2003)
The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood Makes Us Smarter, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Katherine Ellison, presents solid research to support her assertion that motherhood enhances the development of five key traits: perception, efficiency, resilience, motivation, and emotional intelligence. I highly recommend this cutting-edge work--and not just because it proves what morns have known all along! (Basic Books, 2005)
Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy, by Amy L. Lansky, PhD, is an in-depth discussion of the history and philosophy of homeopathy, as well as what it is like to experience homeopathic treatment. Most captivating are stories about miraculous recoveries, including a full chapter on how Lansky used the alternative healing method to cure her son's autism. (R. L. Ranch Press, 2003; www.impossiblecure.com)
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv, asserts that children's relationships with the outdoors are in desperate need of repair for the sake of their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Instead of subjecting kids to Ritalin treatment or weight-loss camps, he implores parents to let them play in puddles and leap through grass. (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2005)
Boys Will Put You on a Pedestal (so they can look up your skirt): A Dad's Advice to Daughters, by Philip Van Munching, is an astute, very funny, and, in most cases, on-target guide for teen girls on some important topics: body image and bullies, sex and romance, grief and letting go. (Simon & Schuster, 2005)
In The Financially Intelligent Parent: 8 Steps to Raising Successful, Generous, Responsible Children, psychotherapist Eileen Gallo, PhD, and estate planner Ion Gallo, JD, give grounded suggestions for raising kids with healthy attitudes about money and work. The authors discuss such issues as establishing an allowance, enforcing chores, and instilling a work ethic, while encouraging parents to examine their own beliefs about financial matters. (New American Library, 2005)
Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism, edited by Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans, cofounders of the grassroots organization CodePink: Women for Peace, is a collection of fierce, articulate calls to end violence from formidable feminist activists including Barbara Ehrenreich, Amy Goodman, and Terry Tempest Williams, with a foreword by Alice Walker and an introduction by Arundhati Roy. (Inner Ocean Publishing, 2005)
video
Lindsey Jackson's Pilates in Pregnancy provides simple (but not easy) exercises that, when precisely executed, work the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, areas often weakened by pregnancy and birth. (Enhance, 2001; www.enhancewellbeing.com)
children's books
It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families, by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley, is a lighthearted, understandable explanation of the birds and the bees that also attends to more complex topics, such as different kinds of love and the function of genes. Diversities of race and sexual orientation are represented in both text and images. For ages 8 to 12. (Candlewick Press, 2002)
Lithgow Party Paloozas! 52 Unexpected Ways to Make a Birthday, Holiday, or Any Day a Celebration for Kids, by the erudite actor John Lithgow, practically bursts with wildly imaginative activities for children of all ages. Most projects are introduced by a lesson in history, art, or literature--or even the craft of ice sculpture. For kids 6 to 12. (Fireside, 2005)
picture books
Sunday with Seurat and Sharing with Renoir, board books by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober, frame French Impressionist artworks with light, rhyming verses, introducing your little one to the masters. Other books for your future art historian include A Picnic with Monet, Dancing with Degas, A Magical Day with Matisse, and In the Garden with Van Gogh. Ages 3 to 5. (Chronicle Books, 2005)
Douglas Florian's lizards, frogs, and polliwogs pairs primal yet sophisticated watercolors with clever poems that subfly instruct on the nature of amphibians. Ages 3 to 6. (Voyager Books, 2005)
In Nina Laden's Romeow & Drooliet, the Felinis and Barkers replace the Montagues and Capulets, and the lovers are not only star-crossed but genetically incompatible? Nonetheless, this cat-and-dog version of Shakespeare's tragedy ends happily: brave Romeow saves fair Drooliet by giving her one of his nine lives. Ages 7 to 10. (Chronicle Books, 2005)
In See the City: The Journey of Manhattan Unfurled, Matteo Pericoli's skillful pencil drawings detail the skylines of his hometown, both the ordinary and extraordinary. The oblong pages are inventively bound to house both East and West sides of the city within one book. Ages 7 to 10. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2004)
Mother Teresa, by Demi, relates the awesome life story of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. As in iconic art, Demi's beautifully stylized illustrations use metallic gold to invoke a sense of the sacred. For ages 10 and up. (Simon & Schuster, 2005)
special needs
Disabled Fables is a collection of Aesop's fables retold and illustrated by adults with developmental disabilities, such as autism and Down syndrome, who are members of LA Goal, a nonprofit that serves their community. Ages 7 to 10. (Star Bright Books, 2005)
