MBR: The Parenting Shelf

The Parenting Shelf

Body Drama
Nancy Amanda Redd
Gotham Books
c/o Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York NY 10014
9781592403264, $20.00 www.penguin.com

Modern teens need body role models to understand changes, and BODY
DRAMA: REAL GIRLS, REAL BODIES, REAL ISSUES, REAL ANSWERS provides
these visual models to teen girls, discussing everything from skin and
body shape to hair and nails and maturing. The candid 'no holds
barred' approach includes discussions of body slang, odor,
maintenance, exercise and more and the lively tone combined with
candid color photos and discussions makes this a pick for any mature
teen's collection, and for any public library where candid coming-of-
age physiology insights are desired.

Baby Boomers And Their Parents
George P. Moschis and Anil Mathur
Paramount Marketing Publishing
950 Danby Road, Suite 136, Ithaca, NY 14850
9780978660246, $47.50 www.paramountbooks.com

If you live long enough, you will by be both an adult with aging
parents, and then an aging parent with adult children. The
perspectives can vary widely between the generations in both
directions. Co-authored by George P. Moschis (Professor of Marketing,
Alfred Bernhardt Research Professor, and the founding director of the
Center for Mature Consumer Studies, Georgia State University -- and
member of the Gerontology program Faculty) and Anil Mathur (Vice Dean
and Professor of Marketing and International Business at the Frank G.
Zarb School of Business, Hofstra University, new York), "Baby Boomers
And Their Parents: Surprising Findings About Their Lifestyles,
Mindsets, And Well-Being" is a fascinating compendium of often
surprising information about the massively influential 'Baby Boom'
generation and their parents. On the issue of health, Boomers have
worse health than their parents and even though Boomers are more
likely to be better informed about matters of nutrition -- they are
less likely than their parents to eat wisely. Aging parents prefer
products that minimize problems where their Boomer children prefer
products that maximize benefits. Attitudes between the generations are
distinctively different with respect to attitudes toward money,
planning for retirement, responses to advertising, lifestyle
preferences, and so much more. Superbly organized and presented, "Baby
Boomers And Their Parents" is especially recommended reading for
corporate managers, governmental policy makers, social issues
advocates, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an
interest in how Boomers and their Elders view and respond to each
other -- and the world in which both of them live.

Key Porter Books
Six Adelaide Street East, 10th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1H6, Canada
www.keyporter.com

Two excellent picks offer parents a fine set of activities guides
perfect for sharing in play. Dr. Roni Cohen Leiderman and Dr. Wendy
Masi's 365 ACTIVITIES YOU AND YOUR CHILD WILL LOVE: PLAY IDEAS TO
THRILL YOUR THRIVING PRESCHOOLER! (9781552638611) packs in hundreds of
ideas for kids between the ages of 3 and 6: play topics which improve
logical thinking, introduce kids to science and promote a better
vocabulary, and teach math, reading, and more. Parents will find these
tips easy to duplicate and offer a rich introduction into the learning
potentials of play. Gymboree's A TO Z ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS: ENRICH YOUR
CHILD'S WORLD OF PLAY WITH FUN ACTIVITY CARDS (9781552639276) offers a
series of creative activities and illustrations on thick activity
cards accompanied by a play guide. Ages 1-4 years will find these
activity cards bright, durable and compelling.

Mothers & Daughters: That Special Bond
Susan Beilenson
Peter Pauper Press, Inc.
202 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601
9781593598938, $9.95 www.peterpauper.com

It is one of life's ironies that children only come to truly
appreciate their parents when they become parents themselves. The
relationship between mothers and their daughters is truly something
special and to be celebrated. That is the premise underlying "Mothers
& Daughters: That Special Bond", a series of photographs and
quotations compiled by Susan Beilenson that illustrate that very
special relationship. The photographs of celebrity moms and their
daughters (a few of whom grew up to become celebrities in their own
right) is the perfect visual augmentation to a wealth of memorable
observations by equally memorable women. The quotations are nicely
organized into three main sections: Daughters Talk about Their
Mothers; What Mothers Say about Their Daughters; and The Mother-
Daughter Relationship. "Mothers & Daughters: That Special Bond" is an
ideal gift for Mother's Day, as well as Birthdays, Holidays, and any
other such family-oriented celebratory occasion. 'I pray that I may be
all that my mother would have been, had she lived in an age when women
could aspire and achieve.' -- Ruth Bader Binsburg, Supreme Court
Justice.

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