by Kathleen Rutherford ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 7, 2017
A candid and useful, if sometimes familiar, guide to the challenges of parenting in an era of distraction.
A debut parenting book shares ideas for creating happy, fulfilled families.
As a mother of three and grandmother of four, Rutherford has lived the advice she gives in this easy-to-read, occasionally humorous guide. She aims to help parents not only get through their days, but enjoy them as well. Her main idea is often heard but rarely followed. “The solution,” she says, is “getting back to the basics, so family life is less chaotic. By basics, I mean spending an entire day without any electronics whatsoever and focusing instead on interacting with your kids, and perhaps playing a board game or going for a walk with the family after dinner.” Her tone is warm and amusing. After hearing the news of a new baby in the family, “grandpa and I were total blubber butts.” Some of her suggestions, such as the list of activities for a summer vacation, are worth hanging on the refrigerator for those inevitable moments when bored children and frustrated parents collide. Others, however, are so obvious that the audience can finish her sentences: “Read to your baby every day. The rhythm of your voice will soothe and content them.” Her voice belongs to her generation but may feel dated to younger readers. Does anyone make sloppy Joes anymore? How many parents of young children were old enough to watch television when Phyllis Diller was a regular on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show? These are quibbles, however, in a thoughtful book that is comprehensive—she covers everything from deciding between cloth and disposable diapers to preventing skin cancer and creating family journals—and serves as a helpful primer for new or soon-to-be parents. Rutherford begins her book by explaining that she took the title from her Scottish grandmother, who often said, “Having a baby’s like having a cup of coffee, wee darly.” The author confides that she still doesn’t know what her grandmother meant, but it works as a metaphor for the confusion of parenting.
A candid and useful, if sometimes familiar, guide to the challenges of parenting in an era of distraction.Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-692-93566-8
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Bowker
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
Share your opinion of this book
More by E.T.A. Hoffmann
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
Share your opinion of this book
More by Ludwig Bemelmans
BOOK REVIEW
developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
BOOK REVIEW
by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.