Dr. Susan’s Fit and Fun Family Action Plan: 301 Things You Can Do Today by Dr. Susan Bartell
Sourcebooks, Inc. - September 1, 2009
Ages: Parents
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
I had a chance to speak to the ebullient Dr. Susan Bartell about her latest book and I was convinced that she not only knows her stuff, but really has the right approach to instilling lifelong lessons for making fitness a permanent part of family life. The advice is sound and grounded, eschewing fads for lifelong sensible solutions to eating right and exercising.

The information in the book is presented in well-organized and very digestible bites so parents can quickly track down specific, age-appropriate information for their kids.  The best part about the book is that Dr. Susan uses real situations to provide guidance for parents.  I read with vigor the section about the child who races through a meal, only to say she’s hungry 5 minutes after the dishes are cleaned up.

Everything from teaching kids about portions to making it easy to fit exercise into a busy schedule. For example, keeping a Frisbee in the car and taking the route that goes by the park make it easy to have an impromptu romp to have fun and get bodies moving.

Word of caution to parents: you actually have to set a good example by exercising and eating right, too! You’ll need to tune up, too, in order to keep up with your fit and fun family!

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Dr. Susan’s Kids Only Weight Loss Guide by Dr. Susan Bartell
Parent Positive Press, 2007
Recommended readers- Adults
Cautions: None

KIWI Bookworm Review:
This no-nonsense guide is a wonderful tool for parents of younger children who may need to lose weight, and it is also handy for any parent trying to keep the whole family well and active. Psychologist Dr. Bartell offers a positive perspective that will help parents make a realistic, healthy plan for either slimming down or staying healthy as a household. Dr. Bartell also wrote Dr. Susan’s Girls-Only Weight Loss Guide for teenage girls.

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Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year by Esmé Raji Codell
Algonquin Books (June 1, 2001)
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
So that’s what it is really like to be a 5th grade in the city. I found that this book was really enlightening as a parent and I am giving copies of this book to every future teacher whom I know. I found the author’s viewpoint of her students to be so touching and honest, as well as her perspective on parents and school administration. Some of the book is so disturbing, such as the author witnessing parents hitting their kids at school (one can only imagine that, if a mother hits her child at school in front of his teacher, what home life must be like). This book is an eye-opening account of the life of a teacher in the city and a must-read.

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How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid: The Straight Dope for Parents by Joseph A. Califano Jr.
Publisher: Fireside - August 11, 2009
Ages: Parents
Cautions: Difficult subject matter

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This book is the real deal on the difficult subject of talking about, recognizing, coping with and managing the topic of drug use with your children. It’s never to early to start talking about drugs with your kids, and this book provides great ways to approach the subject to ensure they listen without alienating them. Some topics such as talking about drug use when you may have used drugs (alcohol or illegal substances) is sound advice. One of the best books out there for parents.

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How To Play The Games Of Yesterday by Scholastic
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Nonfiction (August 1, 2009)
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Forget about the kids! This book sent me catapulting back to my childhood when Freeze Tag and Capture the Flag defined your after-school playtime. I didn’t see my old favorite “Kick the Can” but now I think that one may have been created by that know-it-all John Cunningham who lived on my block (he’s most likely still trying to patent it now!). This book is a great gift to reignite the tried-and-true games of times past.

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Notes from the Underwire: Adventures from My Awkward and Lovely Life by Quinn Cummings
Hyperion, July 2009
Ages: Adults
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
With trepidation, I started to read this new book by Quinn Cummings. Frozen in time as the smart and sarcastic girl in the movie The Goodbye Girl, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for yet another celebrity (or former celebrity) gets married and has a child, therefore making her an instant writer who can impart knowledge on the lesser, non-famous moms. But, Cummings won me over by page 2. She is a talented writer who will have your coffee coming out of your nose as she hilariously tells the tales of her life pre- and post-partum. Chapter two was one of my favorites because she explains that being a child actor was a special time in her life, but being a former child actor is tantamount to being a life sentence. Other than her famous start, Cummings’ voice in this book is that of a very funny friend who is happy to take you to the airport on occasion or graciously adopt your cat. Through hilarious analogies, you’ll get a vivid picture of her ‘awkward and lovely life.”

Product Description
Meet Quinn Cummings. Former child star, mother, and modern woman, she just wants to be a good person. Quinn grew up in Los Angeles, a city whose patron saint would be a sixteen-year-old with a gold card and two trips to rehab under her belt. Quinn does crossword puzzles, knows every cheap Mexican restaurant in the city, and has deeply held beliefs on what makes a good margarita. And she tries very hard to be the Adult–the one who saves the world, the one everybody calls for a ride to the airport–but somehow she always comes up short.

In Notes from the Underwire, Quinn’s smart and hilarious debut, she tackles the domestic and the delightfully absurd, proving that all too often they’re one and the same. From fighting off her prowling cat Lulabelle to her failure at crafts, she’s never without a dash of brilliance. Witty, slightly sarcastic, and keenly observant, Quinn Cummings provides insight into an often chaotic, seldom perfect universe. The book, like the author herself, is good-hearted, tremendously funny, and really good company.

About the Author
Quinn Cummings is a former child actor. Her blog, the QC Report, has received accolades from publications like Newsweek and USA Today. She is the creator of the HipHugger, a sling-type device for carrying a baby, and a full-time mom. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

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Eating for Autism: The 10-Step Nutrition Plan to Help Treat Your Child’s Autism, Asperger’s, or ADHD by Elizabeth Strickland
Da Capo, 2009
Cautions - None
Guide for parents

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Although we had this book vetted by parents of autistic children, we strongly feel that this book could be beneficial to all parents. This book stresses the importance of good eating habits, a ‘clean’ diet free of trigger foods and making food that the whole family will enjoy. The author is a registered dietician specializing in autism spectrum disorders, and she presents the information in a simple, understandable and well-organized book, accessible to all parents.

What your child eats has a major impact on his brain and body function. Eating for Autism is the first book to explain how an autism, Asperger’s, PDD-NOS, or ADHD condition can effectively be treated through diet. Eating for Autism presents a realistic 10-step plan to change your child’s diet, starting with essential foods and supplements and moving to more advanced therapies like the Gluten-Free Casein-Free diet. Parents who have followed Strickland’s revolutionary plan have reported great improvements in their child’s condition, from his mood, sleeping patterns, learning abilities, and behavior to his response to other treatment approaches. Complete with 75 balanced, kid-friendly recipes, and advice on overcoming sensory and feeding skill problems, Eating for Autism is an essential resource to help a child reach his full potential.

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The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
Voice, 2008
Recommended readers: Adult
Cautions: Issues include breast and other cancers

Kiwi Magazine Review:
I happened to grow up in the same area around the same time as Kelly Corrigan, and even met her father and brother decades ago. Despite that sixth-degree-of-separation faux familiarity, I have a feeling that Kelly Corrigan makes everyone feel as though he or she is a friend. This memoir about Corrigan-mom, sister, wife, daughter, writer-brings readers deep within the family’s inner circle. As though chatting with a high school friend with whom we shared our first bitter taste of beer or the crushing rejection from a boy, we catch up on her life as she frankly shares the details of her breast cancer, her father’s cancers, her relationships and her roles. It’s funny, insightful, touching and, well, familiar. You may as well buy 3 copies or more, since you’ll want to share it but never part with your own copy.

Publisher’s Description:
For Kelly Corrigan, family is everything. At thirty-six, she had a marriage that worked, two funny, active kids, and a weekly newspaper column. But even as a thriving adult, Kelly still saw herself as the daughter of garrulous Irish-American charmer George Corrigan. She was living deep within what she calls the Middle Place–”that sliver of time when parenthood and childhood overlap”–comfortably wedged between her adult duties and her parents’ care. But Kelly is abruptly shoved into coming-of-age when she finds a lump in her breast–and gets the diagnosis no one wants to hear. When George, too, learns that he has late-stage cancer, it is Kelly’s turn to take care of the man who had always taken care of her–and to show us a woman who finally takes the leap and grows up.

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The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander
From Preschool to HighSchool–How Parents and Teachers Can Help Break the Cycle (Updated Edition) By Barbara Coloroso
HarperCollins: 5/12/2009
Ages: Parenting advice

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This book couldn’t have arrived at our doorstep at a better time. I never thought for a minute that I would have to deal with a persistent bullying problem in preschool, but there it was. As if the author had channeled all of the nuances of our situation into her book, she called out all of the signs and the warnings. Word to wise parents, read this book before your child enters kindergarten, and read it again every year to remind yourself how to understand the bullying/bullied/bystander dynamic, how to help your child not transition from target to victim and learn valuable lessons from the real-world examples used in the book. Barbara Coloroso knows a great deal about this subject matter but also draws on knowledgeable experts such as Gavin DeBecker to give parents, teachers and administrators a comprehensive guide to this unfortunate universal experience.

Book Description
It’s the deadliest combination going: bullies who terrorize, bullied kids who are afraid to tell, bystanders who watch, and adults who see the incidents as a normal part of childhood. All it takes to understand that this is a recipe for tragedy is a glance at headlines across the country. In this updated edition of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander, which includes a new section on cyberbullying, one of the world’s most trusted parenting educators gives parents, caregivers, educators-and most of all, kids-the tools to break the cycle of violence.

Drawing on her decades of work with troubled youth, and her wide experience in the areas of conflict resolution and reconciliatory justice, Barbara Coloroso explains:

The three kinds of bullying, and the differences between boy and girl bullies
Four abilities that protect your child from succumbing to bullying
Seven steps to take if your child is a bully
How to help the bullied child heal and how to effectively discipline the bully
How to evaluate a school’s antibullying policy
And much more
This compassionate and practical guide has become the groundbreaking reference on the subject of bullying.

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Gardening with Kids by Catherine Woram & Marytn Cox

Ryland, Peters and Small, 2008

Recommended readers- Adults

Cautions:

Publisher’s description:

In Gardening with Kids, Catherine Woram and Martyn Cox tell you everything you need to know, from choosing and preparing your site, and growing from seeds, bulbs and cuttings, to choosing plants from the local garden centre. Themed plant lists help you choose what to grow, as well as highlighting plants to avoid. There are 35 amazing projects — even toddlers can enjoy growing cress in crazy eggheads or planting colourful annuals, while older kids can create their own salad patch, a hanging basket, a terrarium in a glass jar or an alpine garden. There are also plenty of garden-related crafts to work on indoors. Little hands will enjoy getting to grips with lavender bags and tin-can windchimes. A section on outdoor fun covers garden games and treasure hunts whatever outside space they have.

KIWI Bookworm Review:

You won’t be able to read this book cover to cover, because just the first few pages will inspire you to dash out and dig in the dirt. Beautiful photos accompany simple steps to creating a garden with kids, including preparing the soil, choosing plants and harvesting herbs. Don’t miss the special section on making gifts and crafts from your garden’s bounty.

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