LBC 2013 Parenting Book Challenge

I wish I had a trumpet sound effect to use right now.

I have decided to try something new for 2013.  I am going to read (and review) at least one parenting/education book each month in 2013.  This will be a slight departure for me as I do non-fiction only sparingly and then only the most current books.  I want to find the very best inspiration out there to improve my parenting skills.  I hope you will join me.  Feel free to grab the graphic above.  I am still working out the details of the challenge.  I'm thinking I'll post the latest title at the beginning of each month and then wrap up at the end of the month with a review and/or discussion.

JANUARY:
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL by Madeline Leving

FEBRUARY:
HOW CHILDREN SUCCEED by Paul Tough

MARCH:
BRINGING UP BEBE by Pamela Druckerman

APRIL:
LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS by Richard Louv

MAY: 
SIMPLICITY PARENTING by Kim John Payne and Lisa Ross

JUNE:
No selection

JULY: 
FREE TO LEARN by Peter Gray

AUGUST:
THE BIG DISCONNECT by Catherine Steiner-Adair and Teresa H. Barker

SEPTEMBER
HOW TO TALK SO YOUR KIDS WILL LISTEN & LISTEN SO KIDS WILL TALK
by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish

OCTOBER
PLAYFUL LEARNING by Mariah Bruehl

NOVEMBER
RAISING SELF-RELIANT CHILDREN IN A SELF-INDULGENT WORLD by H. Stephen Glenn and Jane Nelson

DECEMBER
IT'S OK NOT TO SHARE by Heather Shumaker

Other potential titles:

POSITIVE DISCIPLINE by Jane Nelson
FREE RANGE KIDS by Lenore Skenazy
WRITE START by Jennifer Hallissy
RHYTHM OF FAMILY by Amanda Blake Soule
IMAGINE CHILDHOOD by Sarah Olmsted
NURTURESHOCK by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
A CHILD'S WORK by Vivian Gussin Paley
MIND IN THE MAKING by Ellen Galinksy

A little something about my parenting style.  I am the mother of a 4.5 yr old boy. We approach parenting with a hybrid style of both "crunchy" and conventional.  My son has attended Montessori preschools since he was 2 and we value a "whole child" approach to learning. I place a lot of emphasis on creativity, imagination and exploration at home.  We do not allow our son to use a computer/smartphone/tablet and we limit television to a maximum of 30 minutes per day. We eat mostly organic as a family and try very hard to focus on handmade and natural toys (and toys that don't require batteries).  We also practice positive discipline in our home. That being said, my son does have some conventional toys and he will be attending a traditional elementary school in the Fall.   I don't believe in standardized testing and will be watching my son's school experience closely to see how it goes.  I try to read a lot and gather as much information as I can and then take the best of what I find.

Find more of the reading challenge posts by clicking on the "parenting book challenge 2013" label under this post.