I'm not awarding any stars in this column, but there were some good parenting titles reviewed this month, nonetheless. I was especially impressed with Kaiser Greenland's approach to teaching young children mindfulness, and her technique might be as helpful for teaching a child not to itch a mosquito bite as it is to encouraging a lifetime of reflection and meditation. The most alarming information I discovered was not Goode's title on seeing ghosts, but rather a sidebar in Liebmann-Smith's and Nardi Egan's title on child health. According to the authors, a recent study reveals that the Tooth Fairy is awarding about $2 per tooth! Come again!

With that kind of excitement looming large, let us not overlook the soothing rhythm of the mundane. I hope this summer our kids will find some of that precious "down time" they so desperately need-time to dream and reflect, play unsupervised, exercise their creativity, and stretch their imaginations. Yes, there is good research documenting the amount of knowledge lost over the summer months, but there is even more research showing the importance of unstructured play in child development. So here's to earning your boo-boos. And, also, that crappy Tooth Fairy delivers exactly one quarter in my house.

Badalament, John. The Modern Dad's Handbook: Strategies for Staying Connected with Your Kids in a Rapidly Changing World. New World Library, dist. By Publishers Group West. 2010. 256p. index. ISBN 978-1-57731-660-2. pap. $14.95. CHILD REARING
Director of the PBS documentary All Men Are Sons: Exploring the Legacy of Fatherhood, Badalament gives voice to a new generation of fatherhood that eschews part-time participation in family life, leaving mothers to be the "real" caretakers, arguing that "as dads, we are infinitely more important to our children and families than we -as individuals and as a collective society-realize or care to admit." His title could be viewed as his documentary repackaged in book form, combining the poignant comments of various men with exercises and tips for getting to intimately know your children and staying involved in their day-to-day lives. By encouraging fathers to bridge the "legacy of the past" with the "emerging vision of fatherhood," Badalament is neither patronizing nor effeminate, and his title should find a healthy spot on the shelf between "her version" of how to involve dad more and the 'ha-ha version' that many fatherhood titles succumb to.

Bessinger, Jeannette L. & Tracee Yablon-Brenner. Best Food for Your Baby & Toddler: From First Foods to Meals Your Child Will Love. Sterling. 2010. 384p. ISBN 978-1-4027-3618-6. pap. $14.95. CHILD REARING
The authors examine everything a reader might inquire about feeding their baby or toddler. From the health facts about raising a vegetarian, to the unfounded benefits of soy milk, to drugs that are compatible with nursing, this is exhaustive (and slightly overwhelming) in its approach. Recipes and preparation techniques are broken down by age group, with nutrition facts appended. While feeding strategies are often covered in generic first-year titles, this is the ultimate destination guide for anyone needing a comprehensive and up-to-date title on infant and toddler nutrition. Pick up Weight Watchers' Eat! Move! Play! for older children, which focuses on establishing and maintaining healthy eating habits, lest your kid become the size of a Cadillac Escalade.

Goode, Caron B. Kids Who See Ghosts: How To Guide Them Through Fear. Red Wheel. 2010. 224p. ISBN 978-1-57863-472-9. pap. $19.95. CHILD REARING
With films like The Sixth Sense and TV's The Ghost Whisperer attracting a dedicated following, the paranormal experiences of children have long been a fascinating topic, if even on a science fiction level. Here, Goode validates children's experiences of seeing ghosts and helps parents to become understanding listeners, beginning a dialog of trust and acceptance, whether or not the parents themselves believe in spirit walkers. Full of stories of encounters, this book offers support to people with metaphysical leanings or parents whose child has claimed to see a ghost (outside of typical invisible friends or "there is a monster under my bed" reports). Those who believe in or are intrigued by the paranormal also will find sound advice for honing intuitive abilities. Recommended for large collections with dedicated paranormal or parapsychology readerships.

Greenland, Susan Kaiser. The Mindful Child: How To Help Your Kids Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate. Free: S.& S. 2010. 256p. ISBN 978-1-4165-8300-4. pap. $15. CHILD REARING
Greenland, co-founder with her husband of InnerKids (affiliated with the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA), here offers a commendable title on teaching mindful awareness techniques to children of all ages. The term "mindful awareness" is not completely mainstream, but the presentation and activities are comparable to the goals of meditation and yoga for reducing stress and building awareness of our feelings and reactions. These self-awareness techniques are designed to aid attention skills, increase self-soothing skills, and reveal interconnections that in turn will hone ethics and socially productive behavior, teaching children that "the key to managing stress...does not always lie in the situation itself but rather in how kids and their parents respond to it." Greenland excels in teaching these concepts to children of all ages, providing activities and metaphors that both nicely illustrate the goals and make them accessible and fun. It is easy to see this being used for children with attention problems or those suffering illness.

Hammond, Michael. Decisive Parenting: Strategies That Work with Teenagers. Rowman & Littlefield. 2010. 170p. ISBN 978-0-7657-0763-5. $29.95. CHILD REARING
Ugh-teenagers! For many families, the adolescent period is a time of argument, angst, worry, and frustration. Prevention/intervention specialist Hammond here offers a solid addition to the canon of literature on parenting teens with concrete suggestions for addressing everything from neglecting chores to shoplifting. Beginning with succinct guidelines on the "rules for rules," he segues into more complex discipline practices, such as level systems, point economies, and contracts, used for more difficult teens and severe situations. After addressing communication skills, conflict resolution, and behavior reinforcement, Hammong tackles specific behavior problems (e.g., arguing), leading each chapter with a concise sidebar giving an example rule followed by natural consequences, logical consequences, and active consequences. For libraries that need an update to the teen discipline section, this in an ample acquisition.

Liebmann-Smith, Joan & Jacqueline Nardi Egan. Baby Body Signs: The Head-to-Toe Guide to Your Child's Health, from Birth Through the Toddler Years. Bantam. 2010. 272p. index. ISBN 978-0-553-38565-6. pap. $15. CHILD REARING
From cone heads to bald spots to hidden penises, there is no doubt that infants can present some alarming conditions that, while usually harmless and self-resolving, can send Mom and Dad into a tizzy, fearing the worst. This title, divided into sections by body part and arranged in a Q&A format, is designed to present common infant maladies (e.g., blackish poop, budding breasts, burgundy birthmarks, etc.) to help parents decipher what is a common infant malady and what is symptomatic of a more serious condition. If parents can use this as a ready-reference tool to look up a specific complaint, then all will be well. Those who lean toward hypochondria will be rapidly convinced their baby is doomed.

Prager, Judith Simon & Judith Acosta. Verbal First Aid: Help Your Kids Heal from Fear and Pain'And Come Out Strong. Berkley: Penguin Group (USA). 2010. 336p. index. ISBN 978-0-425-23427-3. pap. $15. CHILD REARING
The research agrees that traumatic experiences and parents' responses to them can have a life-long impact on children, coloring their future outlook and abilities to navigate stressful situations appropriately. The authors do an excellent job of illustrating children's reactions to stress at various developmental stages, as well as outlining the science behind the mind-body connection. Addressing everyday occurrences like asthma attacks and nosebleeds, in addition to more stressful situations such as preparing for surgery and unplanned catastrophic events, the authors give sample dialogs and responses designed to address the existing fear as well as provide "a teaching moment after the initial fear is over." While it is impossible to plan for accidents, it is within our power to prepare our responses. The authors (The Worst Is Over) have taught verbal first aid to doctors, nurses, and first-responders around the world, and their effort here to bring these skills directly to parents is empowering and on target. Recommended for any child care worker, responder, and certainly for parents.

Radic, Shelly. Momology: A Mom's Guide to Shaping Great Kids. Revell. 2010. 240p. ISBN 978-0-8007-3449-7. pap. $13.99. CHILD REARING
MOPS International is a nonprofit Christian ministry for mothers of preschoolers, and MOPS chief of staff Radic here publishes a workbook for Christian mother groups. The book is broken into four sections (Core, Finesse, Circle, and Grandscape), and each section contains snippets of voices of women with young children, covering topics from the mundane (the biggest decision I made yesterday was') to the prickly (the biggest mom conflict I've been involved in was'), designed to ignite honest discussion and provide a supportive atmosphere for appreciating the often trying years at home with small children. For libraries or organizations that host mothering or homeschooling groups, this would make a nice contribution. Although it is clearly for Christian audiences, the voices of the mothers will ring true for most stay-at-home moms.