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On our desk: “40 Weeks of Keeping Your Head Down” by Bill Bounds (book review)

Paul Banas — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:13:43 +0000

In Forty Weeks of Keeping Your Head Down Bill Bounds has written an entertaining first person look at the baby process. This genre, pioneered by Grant Eppler in What to Expect When She's Expecting, gives the reader a very personal view of what happens on the long road of pregnancy. While Bounds' experiences are personal, his experience is common to us all, complete with OB/GYN visits, scary moments, and the eventual joy of a birth scene. Other new dads can read the book front to back, or pick up and scan the chapters for approaching or familiar territory

On my desk this week: “I’m going to be a Dad: Now what?” by Craig Baird

Paul Banas — Fri, 14 May 2010 19:47:48 +0000

Where Baird's book is different is that it represents a new trend in dad parenting books, as stay-at-home dads become the norm, as do other complicated living and financial circumstances families cobble together to pay the mortgage, and put pampers and formula on the table. While these new books don't differ much in the parenting and medical advice they dispense, they do offer advice for dads in different situations. ... Organized by age from early pregnancy through two years, I'm Going to be a Dad covers a lot of ground in 277 pages. The information is succinct and to the point, and embellished only by the periodic "case studies" of different types of dads (widower, soldier, traditional for example) which are really Q & A interviews on how they are dealing with new fatherhood.

... There is a lot of practical advice in I'm Going to be a Dad, and it's a solid primer for a new dad, though you may need to supplement it with one of your wife's books if you want to dig deep into a subject.

Treat your wife like your boss? Excerpt from Parking Lot Rules

Paul Banas — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:31:50 +0000

TREAT HER LIKE YOUR BOSS No matter how tired or fed up you are with how things are going at the office or store or school, or wherever you might work, if the person who signs your paycheck walks in, somehow there is a little reserve of goodwill saved up, just for him or her. ... This is the source to which you might consider turning when you are completely fed up with your daughter, when she has found your last nerve and is standing on it, when you realize you have memorized the phone number of the private military academy over in the next county. But instead of raising your voice to her, instead of saying some things you may regret later, instead of reminding her that you brought her into this world, instead of embarrassing her in front of the entire family, even though that is precisely what she deserves, just imagine . . .

The secret of the junkyard shadow

Paul Banas — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:51:45 +0000

It is about three cousins who happen to see a man taking stuff from a junkyard. ... It turns out that the junkyard shadow was only trying to do good deeds! ... This book is not violent at all, but it is a very intriging story.

New Dadlabs book out in time for Fathers Day

Paul Banas — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:04:38 +0000

Our friends at DadLabs.com are at it again with a new book that tries to put in prose what they do so well in video. ... It has many practical tips on subjects like picking a baby name and how to change a diaper, just as you will find on DadLabs TV, but much of the value of this book is the ability to laugh at the early stages of parenthood, just as your pregnant partner is taking it so seriously. There is a time for soulful feelings about incipient fatherhood, but also a time for having a beer and making some crude jokes using all the new vocabulary you've just learned in Childbirth class.

Why aren’t dads in children’s books?

Paul Banas — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:53:09 +0000

I have not given this much thought, but the idea behind this article is that dads are way under-represented in kids' fiction, save for the famous Hop on Pop . ... Name kids' books with dads who are at least present in the story and extra points if they are positive literary forces. Where are all the nice, normal dads in children's books? ... But as dads do more childcare, it’s time publishers took note [From Where are all the nice, normal dads in children's books?

Watchdog Group Says Scholastic Is Selling Not Just Books to Children – NYTimes.com

Paul Banas — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:34:54 +0000

Scholastic Inc., the children’s publisher of favorites like the Harry Potter, Goosebumps and Clifford series, may be best known for its books, but a consumer watchdog group accuses the company of using its classroom book clubs to push video games, jewelry kits and toy cars.

... While we like a lot of books Scholastic publishes, and their program to provide books to schools, it's hard not to be quite miffed when we receive what is basically a toy catalog about three times each school year. ... You have to go through every page of your child's choices to determine whether they are a good choice for your child.

11 Birthdays – a good book for 8+ girls

Paul Banas — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:13:06 +0000

It is the story of a girl named Amanda who always has her birthday with a boy named Leo. ... I think this book is for ages nine and up. I think that Wendy Mass is a great writer and I think she should write other books too!

Excite Books – a Netflix for books?

Paul Banas — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:49:36 +0000

Excite Books (ExciteBooks.com) is a subscription book service that sends books monthly to your child, along with a few extra toys and goodies to keep him or her interested. ... George created Excite Books to "add excitement and energy into a child's reading activities by allowing the child to be an active participant in all phases of learning and development through responsibility, motivation, and giving back to the community." ... This looks like a fun gift from faraway grandparents that want to foster the joy of reading in a small child, but can't be there to help buy books on a regular basis.

Howard Bennett in the Washington Post

Paul Banas — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:47:59 +0000

It's kind of gross, but our friend, Howard Bennett, is writing a book on "the gross facts of life." ... Not exactly cocktail conversation but he hopes topics that will be fun for kids as a way into reading more about science and how the body works. ... We'll be looking forward to getting more excerpts of his book and seeing it when it comes out next year could