“Americans like children. We are the only people who respond to prosperity by saying, 'Let's have another kid,' ” says Nan Marie Astone, associate professor of population, family and reproductive health at Johns Hopkins University. Prosperity or no, potential moms and dads are reproducing in record numbers. A January 15 Fox News story noted that the U.S. “seems to be experiencing a baby boomlet,” reporting the largest number of children born in 45 years—nearly 4.3 million births in 2006.
Not surprisingly, publishers report concurrent growth in this genre. Says Lissa Warren, senior publicity director for Da Capo Lifelong Books, “This category feels very, very healthy these days; we're seeing a lot of parenting proposals.” The books, she adds, fall into two distinct camps: “books by 'parent experts' who have been there, done that and lived to tell the tale, and books by pediatricians, child development specialists and educators who have done research that sheds light on today's families and today's kids. I can't imagine a home bookshelf these days that wouldn't contain both types of titles. ”
We've selected seven titles, representing Warren's two subcategories, that are heading for retailers' shelves in the coming months.
Does Your Baby Have Autism? by Osnat Teitelbaum and Philip Teitelbaum
Publisher: Square One (May, paperback original)
First printing: 50,000
Target audience: Publisher Rudy Shur explains: “The Teitelbaums essentially wanted to bring out their theory involving the early diagnosis of autism in children through movement to the general public. For the last 10 years, they've been writing for professionals.”
Author's credentials: “The Teitelbaums, husband and wife, are currently professors in psychology at the University of Florida at Gainesville. They've spent 15 years looking over tapes of normal children and children who would go on to become autistic.”
Why the book is needed: “Previous autism research has centered on a child's social interaction. The Teitelbaums' approach is based on movement—and that's revolutionary. Instead of waiting to determine if a child is autistic, the Teitelbaums have gone from 18 to 24 months for diagnosis to eight to 10 months. They can head off autism by detecting it early. Their treatment has nothing to do with drugs; it focuses on seeing where the neurological pathway is and how to bypass it.”
What distinguishes it from the competition: “There is no competition. This is the first book ever to be published on autism and movement. The goal is to provide parents with something to look for and a journal they can keep their notes in. It will be a major breakthrough. Always nice to be in the eye of a storm.”
Generation Text: Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything by Michael Osit
Publisher: Amacom Books (June, hardcover)
First printing: 20,000
Target audience: Says executive editor Jacquie Flynn, “Obviously, the primary audience is parents of school-age kids. There's a strong secondary market with teachers, counselors, therapists and people who work with kids.”
Author's credentials: “Osit is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice, who has been working with families for over 30 years.”
Why the book is needed: “All the teenage impulses are too easy to act on; everything is too instantaneous. As an editor and a parent, when I talk about books at the basketball court or the hockey rink, it seems to tap into an ongoing conversation—parents are worried about what's going on with MySpace, text messaging, demands for new and better clothes, electronics and equipment.”
What distinguishes it from the competition: “I've seen dozens of proposals for books about Internet use and kids, and videogames and kids. You're only going to be dealing with the symptoms if you just focus on one thing. Osit is the only one to put them all together and to talk about this toxic climate we're raising kids in. He offers smart parenting techniques. It's reassuring to think there is something you can do.”
The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child: With No Pills, No Therapy, No Contest of Wills by Alan E. Kazdin
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (Jan., hardcover)
First printing: 35,000
Target audience: Parents of toddlers to teenagers.
Author's credentials: “Alan E. Kazdin is the 2008 president of the American Psychological Association,” says editor Deanne Urmy. “He is John M. Musser Professor of Psychology at Yale University and director of the Yale Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic, and the author of many professional books on child psychology and behavior published in dozens of countries.”
Why the book is needed: “Because a startling percentage of child-behavior books are filled with advice that sounds reasonable and fits in with what parents already believe about child-rearing—but have no basis in science, and so are guaranteed to fail.”
What distinguishes it from the competition: “The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child makes available to parents for the first time Dr. Kazdin's proven program—one backed up by some of the most long-term and respected research devoted to any therapy for children. And it's the first parenting book to come with its own bound-in DVD featuring effective tips for common problems.”
Mama Rock's Rules: Ten Lessons for Raising a Houseful of Successful Children by Rose Rock
Publisher: Collins (May, hardcover)
First printing: 150,000
Target audience: harried parents, Chris Rock fans
Author's credentials: Says executive editor Kathy Huck, “Rose Rock, mother to 10 children and 17 foster children, is an educator specializing in preschool and special education. For 17 years she taught and operated a preschool and day care center in New York and South Carolina. Rock founded Rock This 619, a nonprofit youth empowerment organization. She is also the host of the weekly Myrtle Beach, S.C., radio program The Mom Show.
Why the book is needed: “A reality check for parenting. Today's role models for kids are who they see on MTV and E!. Rose brings parenting back to the most important role models for our children—the parents.
What distinguishes it from the competition: “Hugely popular comedian Chris Rock often reflects on his family in his standup routines and was so influenced by his childhood that Everyone Hates Chris is based on it. The rock behind this tight-knit family? His mother, Rose Rock. Using stories from her own childhood and parenting experiences, Rose writes with a 'don't mess with me or you won't get old' sense of authority and brings a breadth of parenting know-how to make her a mama to be reckoned with.”
A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting by Hara Estroff Marano
Publisher: Broadway Books (Apr., hardcover)
First printing: 25,000
Target audience: Parents who find themselves caught up in the current culture of hothouse parenting.
Author's credentials: Says editor Becky Cole, “The mother of two grown sons, Marano is editor-at-large and the former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today.”
Why the book is needed: “Overparenting has hit the mainstream—with disastrous effects. Parents are going to ludicrous lengths to take the bumps out of life for their children, but the net effect of parental hyper-concern and scrutiny is to make kids more fragile. When the real world isn't the discomfort-free zone kids are accustomed to, they break down in myriad ways—failing to form healthy attachments and losing the ability to make even the simplest decisions on their own. Marano sounds a much-needed alarm.”
What distinguishes it from the competition: “A Nation of Wimps is the first book to connect the dots between overparenting and the social crisis of the young. Marano reveals how parental over-involvement hinders a child's development socially, emotionally and neurologically, leading to serious crises in young adult life, like binge drinking, self-mutilation and a complete lack of crucial decision-making skills.”
The Path to Purpose: Helping Our Children Find Their Calling in Life by William Damon
Publisher: Free Press (Apr., hardcover)
First printing: 15,000
Target audience: Parents, educators and all adults who work with children and adolescents.
Author's credentials: Says senior editor Emily Loose, “William Damon is one of the world's leading researchers on childhood and adolescence and the director of the Center on Adolescence at Stanford University. He's been a leading force in the study of child development, and he is editor-in-chief of the prestigious Handbook of Child Psychology.”
Why the book is needed: “Recent studies have shown that finding a clear sense of purpose—a 'calling'—is essential for well-being in life, and yet no book has offered serious, research-based guidance about how to nurture that sense of purpose in children. This book presents nine powerful, proven strategies for doing so.”
What distinguishes it from the competition: “The book is the first about how and why so many of today's young are failing to find a purpose in life, and it is based on original scientific research, reporting on a landmark four-year, $4-million study, which revealed that only 20% of our youth today are thriving, while fully 25% are utterly rudderless.”
What Every 21st-Century Parent Needs to Know: Facing Today's Challenges with Wisdom and Heart by Debra W. Haffner
Publisher: Newmarket Press (Apr.)
First printing: 25,000
Target audience: Says publisher Esther Margolis: “Debra's writing for all 20th-century parents—like herself, a mother of two—who are dealing with raising 21st-century kids. Some issues are the same, many are not, and advancements in technology and alarmist media reporting may be more hurtful than helpful.”
Author's credentials: “Debra has been a parenting educator for 25 years. She lectures worldwide to parenting groups and schools, appears on TV and radio (Oprah, Today, Bill O'Reilly) and is the author of From Diapers to Dating and Beyond the Big Talk. She has an MS in Public Health and is an ordained minister with the Unitarian Church.”
Why the book is needed: “Everything moves faster today. Statistics reported in the media can be misleading. Technology rules. Parents need help to keep today's issues in perspective. Debra gives practical and reassuring advice on stress, drinking, drugs, Internet safety, cellphones, social networking, depression, bullying, sex and much more.”
What distinguishes it from the competition: “This is not an alarmist, single-issue book. No other popular book deals with such a broad range of real—not media-created—challenges.”
|
