Book List

Baby and child care

  • "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, Birth to Age 5" by American Academy of Pediatrics
  • "Your Baby’s First Year)" by American Academy of Pediatrics
  • "Baby 411: Your Baby Birth to Age 1" by Dr. Ari Brown and Denise Fields
  • "Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care" by Benjamin Spock MD and Robert Needlman MD

Breastfeeding

  • "The Nursing Mother’s Companion" by Kathleen Huggins
  • "Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers" by Nancy Mohrbacher and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett PhD
  • "The Complete Book of Breastfeeding" by Sally Wendkos Olds and Laura Marks MD
  • "Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, and Teresa Pitman
  • "New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding" by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Joan Younger Meek MD

Medical care

  • "Your Child’s Health" by Barton Schmidt
  • "My Child is Sick! Expert Advice for Managing Common Illnesses and Injuries" by Barton Schmidt
  • "Baby & Child Emergency First-Aid" by Mitchell Einzing MD and Paula Kelly MD

Infant/child development

  • "The Magic Years: Understanding and Handling the Problems of Early Childhood" by Selma Fraiberg
  • "Your One Year Old" (series continues up to age 5) by Louise Bates Ames PhD and Frances L. Ilg MD

Parenting

  • "The Hurried Child (25th anniversary edition)" by David Elkind
  • "The Difficult Child" by Stanley Turecki
  • "Raising Your Spirited Child" by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka EdD
  • "Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys" by Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson PhD
  • "The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children" by Ross W. Greene, PhD
  • "The Highly Sensitive Child: Helping Our Children Thrive When the World Overwhelms Them" by Elaine N. Aron, PhD
  • "Parenting the Strong Willed Child: The Clinically Proven Five-Week Program for Parents of Two-to-Six Year Olds" by Rex Forehand and Nicholas Long
  • "Getting to Calm: Cool-Headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens + Teens" by Laura Kastner PhD and Jennifer Wyatt PhD
  • "The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer" by Harvey Karp MD
  • "The Happiest Toddler on the Block: How to Eliminate Tantrums and Raise a Patient, Respectful, and Cooperative One-to Four-Year-Old" by Harvey Karp MD
  • "The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed" by Jessica Lahey
  • "How to Talk so Kids will Listen & Listen so Kids will Talk" by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
  • "How to Talk so Little Kids will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7" by Joanna Faber and Julie King

Discipline

  • "1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12" by Thomas W. Phelan
  • "SOS: Help for Parents" by Lynn Clark
  • "PET: Parent Effectiveness Training; the Tested Way to Raise Responsible Children" by Thomas Gordon
  • "Setting Limits with Your Strong Willed Child" by Robert Mackenzie
  • "No-Drama Discipline" by Daniel Siegler and Tina Payne Bryson
  • "Discipline Made Easy" by Sandra Leon Feeding and nutrition
  • "Ending the Food Fight" by David Ludwig MD PhD
  • "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Food in Kids Favorite Meals" by Missy Chase Lapine
  • "How to Get Your Kid to Eat, But Not Too Much" by Ellyn Satter
  • "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan
  • "What to Feed Your Baby: A Pediatrician’s Guide to the 11 Essential Foods to Guarantee Veggie-loving, No-Fuss, Healthy-Eating Kids" by Tanya Altmann MD
  • "The Complete Baby and Toddler Cookbook" by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
  • "Honest Pretzels: And 64 Other Amazing Recipes for Cooks Ages 8 & Up" by Mollie Katzen
  • "Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up" by Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson

Sleep issues

  • "Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems" by Richard Ferber MD
  • "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: A Step-by-Step Program for a Good Night’s Sleep" by Marc Weissbluth MD
  • "The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep: Simple Solutions for Kids from Birth to 5 Years" by Harvey Karp MD
  • "It’s Never Too Late to Sleep Train: The Low-Stress Way to High-Quality Sleep for Babies, Kids, and Parents" by Craig Canapari MD, and his website https://drcraigcanapari.com/

Toilet training

  • "Mommy! I Have to Go Potty!: A Parent’s Guide to Toilet Training" by Jan Faull and Helen Neville
  • "Oh Crap! Potty Training" by Jamie Glowacki
  • "Easy Peasy Potty Training" by Julie Schooler
  • “The Poo in You”-Youtube Video
  • To read to your child: "Potty" by Leslie Patricelli, "Once Upon a Potty" by Alona Frankel Thumb-sucking
  • "David Decides About Thumb-Sucking: A Story for Children, a Guide for Parents" by Susan Heitler, PhD

Puberty and sex education

  • "Celebrate Your Body for Girls Part 1" by Sonya Renee Taylor and Biance Laureano
  • "Celebrate Your Body for Girls Part 2" by Dr. Carrie Leff and Dr. Lisa Klein
  • "The Boy’s Body Book: Everything You Need to Know for Growing up" by Kelli Dunham
  • "The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls" by Valorie Schaefer (ages 8 and up)
  • "The Care and Keeping of You 2: The Body Book for Older Girls" by Cara Natterson MD (ages 10 and up)
  • “YOU-ology: A Puberty Guide for EVERY Body” byTrish Hutchison MD, Kathryn Lowe MD, Melisa Holmes MD
  • “The Every Body Book: The LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families” by Rachel Simon
  • "It’s Not the Stork! A Book about Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends" by Robie Harris and Michael Emberly (ages 4+)
  • "It’s So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families" by Robie Harris and Michael Emberley (ages 7+)
  • "It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health (ages 10+)" by Robie Harris and Michael Emberley
  • "Everything You Never Wanted Your Kids to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid They’d Ask)" by Justin Richardson MD and Mark Schuster MD PhD

Adolescence

  • "Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall?" by Anthony Wolf PhD
  • "Surviving Your Adolescents: How to Manage and Let Go of your 13-18 Year Olds" by Thomas W. Phelan PhD
  • "Help Me... I Have a Teenager!!" by Annie Drake
  • "Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boys, and the New Realities of Girl World" by Rosalind Wiseman
  • "Masterminds and Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World" by Rosalind Wiseman
  • "Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood" by Lisa Damour PhD
  • "Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls" by Lisa Damour PhD
  • “The Emotional Lives of Teenagers” by Lisa Damour PhD
  • "Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls (Revised and Updated)" by Rachel Simmons
  • "Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children" by Michael Thompson PhD and Catherine O’Neill-Grace
  • "Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety: A Complete Guide to Your Child’s Stressed, Depressed, Expanded, Amazing Adolescence" by Dr. John Duffy
  • "How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success" by Julie Lythcott-Haimes
  • "He’s Not Lazy: Empowering your Son to Believe in Himself" by Adam Price PhD Anxiety/OCD
  • "The Big Worry Day" by K.A. Reynolds
  • "Freeing Your Child from Anxiety" by Tamar Chansky PhD
  • "What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety" by Dawn Huebner PhD
  • "Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder" by Tamar Chansky
  • Books for younger children with worries and fears: "Chrysanthemum," "Wemberly Worried," and "Sheila Rae, the Brave" all by Kevin Henkes
  • "There’s a Nightmare in My Closet" and "There’s an Alligator Under my Bed" by Mercer Mayer
  • "This is So Awkward," by Cara Natterson, MD, and Vanessa Kroll Bennett

Depression

  • "Danny and the Blue Cloud: Coping with Childhood Depression" by James Foley
  • "Depression: A Teen’s Guide to Survive and Thrive" by Jaqueline Toner PhD and Claire Freeland PhD

Mindfulness and relaxation

  • "A Still Quiet Place: A Mindfulness Program for Teaching Children and Adolescents to Ease Stress and Difficult Emotions" by Amy Saltzman, MD
  • "Relaxation and Self Regulation Techniques for Children and Teens" by Dr. Mary Karapetian Alvord

Teaching social skills

  • "101 Ways to Teach Children Social Skills: A Ready-to-Use Reproducible Activity Book" by Lawrence Shapiro
  • "The Social Skills Picture Book: Teaching Play, Emotion, and Communication to Children with Autism" by Jed Baker, PhD
  • "Quirky Kids: Understanding and Helping Your Child Who Doesn’t Fit In-When to Worry and When Not to Worry" by Perri Klass MD and Eileen Costello MD
  • "8 Keys to Raising the Quirky Child: How to Help a Kid Who Doesn’t (Quite) Fit In" by Mark Bowers Attention concerns, ADD/ADHD, executive function difficulties
  • Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD): www.chadd.org
  • "Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents" by Russell Barkley, PhD
  • "Teenagers with ADD, ADHD & Executive Function Deficits: A Guide for Parents and Professionals" by Chris Zeigler Dendy
  • "Thinking Organized for Parents and Children: Helping Kids get Organized for Home, School, and Play" by Rhona Gorgon and her website, www.thinkingorganized.com
  • "Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Children with Executive Function" by Joyce Cooper-Kahn PhD and Laurie Dietzel PhD
  • "Making the System Work for Your Child with ADHD" by Peter Jensen MD
  • "ADHD: What Every Parent Needs to Know" by the American Academy of Pediatrics with Mark Rolraich MD and Joseph Hagan Jr MD
  • "Smart But Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential" by Peg Dawson EdD and Richard Guare PhD
  • "Understanding Girls with ADHD" by Kathleen Nadeau PhD, Ellen Littman PhD and Patricia Quinn MD Autism
  • "Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Complete Guide to Understanding Autism" by Chantal Sicile-Kira
  • "An Early Start for Your Child with Autism: Using Everyday Activities to Help Kids Connect, Communicate, and Learn" by Sally Rogers PhD, Geraldine Dawson PhD and Laurie Vismara PhD
  • "A Parent’s Guide to High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder" by Sally Ozonoff PhD, Geraldine Dawson PhD and James McPartland PhD
  • “Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism” by Barry Prizant PhD Coping with Parental Illness
  • "How to Help Children Through a Parent’s Serious Illness" by Kathleen McCue
  • "Why Are You So Sad? A Child’s Book about Parental Depression" by Beth Andrews

Death and dying

For younger children:

  • "The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages" by Leo Buscaglia, PhD
  • "The Goodbye Book" by Todd Parr
  • "The Invisible String" by Patrice Karst
  • "I Miss You: A First Look" at Death by Pat Thomas
  • "Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children" by Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen
  • "Missing Mommy" by Rebecca Cobb
  • "Grandma’s Gloves" by Cecil Castelluci

For older children:

  • "When a friend dies: a book for teens about grieving and healing" by Marilyn Gootman, EdD
  • "You are not alone: Teens talk about life after the loss of a parent" by Lynne Hughes
  • "The grieving teen: a guide for teenagers and their friends" by Helen Fitzgerald
  • "Straight talk about death for teenagers: how to cope with losing someone you love" by Earl Grollman

Books that encourage kindness toward others

  • "We All Sing With the Same Voice" by J. Philip Miller and Sheppard M. Greene
  • "Have You Filled A Bucket Today? A Guide To Daily Happiness For Kids" by Carol McCloud
  • "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead
  • "Each Kindness" by Jacqueline Woodson
  • "Last Stop On Market Street" by Matt de la Pena
  • "Those Shoes" by Maribeth Boelts
  • "Enemy Pie" by Derek Munson
  • "Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed" by Emily Pearson and Fumi Kosaka
  • "The Invisible Boy" by Trudy Ludwig
  • "The Three Questions" by Jon Muth
  • "Rude Cakes" by Rowboat Watkins