Parenting Books

I haven’t even been a parent that long (3 kids in 5 years as of this writing), but I’ve read an embarrassing number of parenting books. (You’d think from this list I’d have a better idea what I was doing.) Despite all I’ve read, I’m aware that I’ve barely even touched the surface of that vast ocean of self-help literature known as “parenting books”. However, I enjoy reading about this topic, and you’ll see from my ratings and reviews that I have a clear preference for kind, gentle parenting philosophies as opposed to “how-to” books that feature a series of steps to make your child behave/sleep/fill-in-the-blank. I’m sure many people will disagree with my assessments, but I hope someone finds them at least a little helpful.

By Topic

To see lists of books specifically related to the following topics, click the links below:

• Activities
• Attachment Parenting
• Child Development
• Discipline
• Education
• General Parenting
• Homeschooling
• Humor
• Infants
• Meant for Kids
• Memoirs
• Miscellaneous
• Mothering
• Reading
• Siblings
• Signing

Complete List

The table below includes all the parenting books I’ve reviewed so far. Note that by clicking the triangles at the top of each column you can choose to sort the list by title, author, or my own personal rating. Click on an individual title to see my review of that work, as well as a summary of the most useful information and wisdom I obtained from each.

TITLE	AUTHOR	MY RATING
The Vital Touch	Heller	10
Peaceful Parents, Happy Kids	Markham	10
The New First Three Years of Life	White	10
Sticks and Stones	Bazelon	9
Sign, Sing, and Play!	Briant	9
Nurture Shock	Bronson & Merryman	9
Children: The Challenge	Dreikurs	9
Siblings Without Rivalry	Faber & Mazlish	9
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk	Faber & Mazlish	9
Parenting with Purpose	Garcia	9
The Happiest Baby on the Block	Karp	9
The Toddler's Busy Book	Kuffner	9
The Continuum Concept	Liedloff	9
Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius	Lillard	9
Preschool Confidential	Shelton	9
How Children Succeed	Tough	9
The Read-Aloud Handbook	Trelease	9
Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything	Weldon	9
Beyond the Sling	Bialik	8
Tools of the Mind	Bodrova & Leong	8
Baby Sign Language Basics	Briant	8
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother	Chua	8
Playful Parenting	Cohen	8
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens	Covey	8
Bringing Up Bebe	Druckerman	8
Baby Hearts	Goodwyn & Acredolo	8
Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Preschool Years	Hainstock & Havis	8
Games for Reading	Kaye	8
Your Baby and Child: From Birth to Age Five	Leach	8
Valerie and Walter's Best Books for Children	Lewis & Mayes	8
Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three	Lillard & Jessen	8
The New York Time's Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children	Lipson	8
Montessori and Your Child: A Primer for Parents	Malloy	8
Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings	Markham	8
Math Doesn't Suck	McKellar	8
Brain Rules for Baby	Medina	8
The Book Whisperer	Miller	8
Theories of Childhood: An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky	Mooney	8
The No-Cry Sleep Solution	Pantley	8
Understanding Waldorf Education	Petrash	8
The Pocket Parent	Reichlin & Winkler	8
Babyhood	Reiser	8
Please Don't Label My Child	Shannon	8
The Whole Brain Child	Siegel & Bryson	8
100 Best Books for Children	Silvey	8
Partners in Play	Singer	8
A Piaget Primer: How a Child Thinks	Singer & Revenson	8
Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids	Walsh	8
Best Books for Boys	Zbaracki	8
Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk	Acredolo & Goodwyn	7
Mom's Handy Book of Backyard Games	Cava	7
Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future	Ceceri	7
Parenting With Love and Logic	Cline & Fay	7
From One Child to Two	Dunn	7
1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up	Eccleshare	7
How to Stop the Battle with Your Child	Fleming	7
The Magic Years	Fraiberg	7
Mind in the Making	Galinsky	7
Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun	Glenn & Larsen	7
Your Child's Growing Mind	Healy	7
Beyond One: Growing a Family and Getting a Life	Hull	7
Heading Home With Your Newborn	Jana & Shu	7
How Toddlers Thrive	Klein	7
The Arts and Crafts Busy Book	Kuffner	7
Raising Your Spirited Child	Kurcinka	7
More Charlotte Mason Education	Levison	7
Montessori Today	Lillard	7
Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook	Montessori	7
What Every Mom Nees	Morgan & Kuykendall	7
Buddhism for Mothers of Young Children	Napthali	7
The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids	Olsson	7
Simplicity Parenting	Payne	7
The Discipline Book	Sears & Sears	7
How to Raise an Amazing Child The Montessori Way	Seldin	7
What to Read When	Allyn	6
Babies Need Books	Butler	6
Fatherhood	Cosby	6
Smart but Scattered	Dawson & Guare	6
School as a Journey	Finser	6
Einstein Never Used Flashcards	Golinkoff, Hirsh-Pasek, & Ever	6
Teach Your Own	Holt & Farenga	6
Unconditional Parenting	Kohn	6
The Wiggle and Giggle Busy Book	Kuffner	6
Montessori: A Modern Approach	Lillard	6
Last Child in the Woods	Louv	6
The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers	Meeker	6
Positive Discipline: The First Three Years	Nelson, Erwin, & Duffy	6
The Attachment Connection	Newton	6
Practical Wisdom for Parents	Schulman & Birnbaum	6
The Girlfriends' Guide to Toddlers	Iovine	5
The Secret of Childhood	Montessori	5
Great Games for Young Children	Pica	5
Child's Play: Montessori Games and Activities for Your Baby and Toddler	Pitamic	5
How to Behave So Your Preschooler Will, Too!	Severe	5
Your Three-Year-Old: Friend or Enemy	Ames	4
Siblings: Love, Envy, and Understanding	Dunn & Kendrick	4
Baby Bargains	Fields & Fields	4
The Happiest Toddler on the Block	Karp	4
Understanding Piaget	Pulaski	4
The Strong-Willed Child	Dobson	2

Related Links

Best Books for Kids
Books Lists: Personal Family Favorites
Learning Activities for Kids