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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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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Understanding and Managing Your Child’s Food Allergies by Scott Sicherer

The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006

Recommended readers- Adults

Cautions-

Publisher’s description:

For children with food allergies, eating—one of the basic functions of life—can be a nightmare. Children who suffer or become dangerously ill after eating peanuts, seafood, milk, eggs, wheat, or a host of other foods require constant vigilance from caring, concerned parents, teachers, and friends. In this empathetic and comprehensive guide, Dr. Scott H. Sicherer, a specialist in pediatric food allergies, gives parents the information they need to manage their children’s health and quality of life. He describes why children develop food allergy, the symptoms of food allergy (affecting the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, and the respiratory system), and the role of food allergy in behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. Parents will learn how to recognize emergency situations, how to get the most out of a visit with an allergist, what allergy test results mean, and how to protect their children—at home, at school, at summer camp, and in restaurants. Informative, compassionate, and practical, this guide will be indispensable forparents, physicians, school nurses, teachers, and everyone else who cares for children with food allergies.

KIWI Bookworm Review:

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Food Allergies for Dummies by Robert Wood

For Dummies, 2007

Recommended Readers- Adults

Cautions:

Publishers Description:

With Food Allergies for Dummies, you can feel safer about what you eat. This concise guide shows you how to identify and avoid food that triggers reactions. This guide covers how to care for a child with food allergies, such as getting involved with his/her school’s allergy policies, packing safe lunches, and empowering him/her to take responsibility for his allergy. You will also discover:

• The signs and symptoms of food allergies
• How to determine the severity of your allergy
• Ways to eat out and travel with allergies
• How to create your own avoidance diet
• Ways to enjoy your meal without allergic symptoms
• How to prevent food allergies from affecting your child
• The latest research being done to treat food allergies

Food Allergies for Dummies also provides an in-depth chapter on peanut allergy and how to spot traces of peanut in your food. With this book, you will feel safer and more comfortable while you eat.

KIWI Magazine Review:

When we were researching our article in the November/December 2008 issue of Kiwi Magazine, every expert mentioned Dr. Robert Wood as the right person to interview.  This book is excellent, easy to understand and a must-have for anyone with food allergies.  Dr. Wood has a severe peanut allergy and shares anecdotes about his own experiences with allergies.  

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