Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

More and more children are facing neurological disorientation. Why is My Kid Doing That? A Sensory Approach to Understanding Your Child's Behavior by Cindy Utzinger will help readers understand the sensory foundation that everyone has and breaks down why various behaviors take place. The book explains how to understand those behaviors and gives the tools to provide an outlet for them. There is no handbook for parenting and it is always a learning experience bringing up a child. However, this book makes parenting and child-rearing a bit easier, and gives parents, tutors, and caregivers hope in handling the worrisome quirks of their children without feeling overwhelmed. The book speaks about the importance of having a solid foundation, which is important to all other learning so that they can learn and develop well.

Cindy Utzinger keeps it simple and easy for readers to understand, though there are some technical term usages. She deals with the subject extensively and methodically, guiding readers to examine the foundational layers of the building blocks of their children, the layers where learning occurs, and how to identify and discuss the layers and blocks that are visible. The practical and numerous alternatives given by the author will definitely help educators and parents to better understand the sensory behaviors of children. Why is My Kid Doing That? A Sensory Approach to Understanding Your Child's Behavior gives clarity on the behavioral problems of children and will help parents to guide their children so that they can achieve great heights and perform well.

Reviewed by Kristy Volchko for Readers' Favorite

Feeling Good: Living Low Toxin in Community and Everyday Life by Cheryl Meyer is a step-by-step, comprehensive guide on how to take control of your health and wellness, restore balance, and build your immune system once and for all. Chronic illness, inflammation, and autoimmune disease have skyrocketed and many sufferers are being misdiagnosed, under-diagnosed, and are far from finding relief from the pain and multiple (sometimes debilitating) symptoms caused by over-toxicity. Award-winning author Cheryl Meyer knows what you’re going through, having dealt with these challenges herself, and she’s made it her mission to help others on their journey to wellness, one page at a time. Never has the world been so full of the kinds of chemicals our human bodies must struggle to eliminate, but in the age of Covid-19, we need a healthy, strong immune system even more than ever. This book will show you how to combat the elements through various forms of self-care and the nutrition necessary to support and ultimately transform your body to a place of balance and restoration.

Feeling Good: Living Low Toxin in Community and Everyday Life by Cheryl Meyer is such a fantastic read! As a person with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), I found the information in the book to be spot-on and wished I’d had this available to me fifteen years ago when I was struggling the most. Some people are just beginning their journey and have no one to turn to because many doctors don’t get it or haven’t the faintest clue on where to direct a person already overwhelmed, inflamed, and intolerant to conventional medicines or methods. I highly recommend Feeling Good to everyone, not just folks that are struggling with issues, but those who wish to learn about maintaining good health in a time where toxic chemicals, foods, and environment seem to be the ‘norm’. Well-written, positive, informative, and a five-star addition to my bookshelf that I will most certainly read again and again!

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Brain Stages: How to Raise Smart, Confident Kids and Have Fun Doing It, K-5 by Patricia Wilkinson and Jacqueline Frischknecht is a good way for parents to realize the influence they have over their children's brain development. Kids' brains are elastic and this book will help not only raise confident, smart children but also reduce stress and make the parenting journey fun and fulfilling. There is a large collection of activities that will help to build and reinforce skills while bringing the family closer and keeping them connected. The challenging games have been designed keeping versatility in mind.

Brain Stages by Patricia Wilkinson and Jacqueline Frischknecht is a handy manual that gives step-by-step guidance to parents to enable them to boost their child's brainpower, social skills, and love for learning. It can be used again and again to facilitate learning, get homework help, understand social skills, and discover ways to effectively communicate with tutors, educators, and school administrators. Parents will find the book useful when it comes to understanding how to make the most of their child's brain development and enjoy building a healthy social, emotional, and academic foundation.

The strategies and techniques are a good way to enjoy a parent-child raising journey, and the authors have tackled the subject extensively in a methodical and structured way, making it easy for parents to incorporate into the lives of their children by forming a routine that is suitable for their brain growth. The book is also a good way for parents to understand that every child is an individual. It is important for them to do proper research and make an informed decision when it comes to deciding to send them to kindergarten and a proper school so that they end up being happy kids and well-adjusted adults someday.

Reviewed by Sefina Hawke for Readers' Favorite

Raising a Child with Dyslexia (What Every Parent Needs to Know) by Don M Winn is a non-fiction parenting book that would appeal most to an audience made up of family members of children with Dyslexia, teachers who have students with Dyslexia, and those studying in a medical field. This book offers assistance to those who need to know about Dyslexia in a manner designed for those without a medical background. The focus of the book includes signs of Dyslexia, symptoms of Dyslexia, understanding the testing process, tips for creating a good learning environment, ideas for creating a safe environment for children with Dyslexia, and how to help children with the condition cope with it. Does your child have Dyslexia or do you work with a child that does? If so, this book will prepare you not only for working with that child, but also for understanding them and helping them to grow not just educationally, but also on a personal level.

Raising a Child with Dyslexia (What Every Parent Needs to Know) by Don M Winn has a visually appealing cover, which made the book seem more like a self-help guide that I could understand without having a medical background. As a psychology student, I found this book very interesting as it did not just focus on the medical aspects of Dyslexia, but also the emotional aspects. I liked how the book did not focus exclusively on one factor of having childhood Dyslexia but instead covered everything from signs to testing all the way to helping the child educationally. This book should be required reading for anyone who is going to be working with a child with Dyslexia in any capacity.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Once a Girl, Always a Boy: A Family Memoir of a Transgender Journey is a nonfiction memoir written by Jo Ivester and based on the video journals of her son, Jeremy Ivester. Jo and her husband, Jon, were not at all surprised when their third child, called Emily at the time, turned out to be actively involved in sports. Both his older brother and sister were into sports. While Jo and her husband were somewhat surprised when Jeremy didn’t go for the girly stuff, as his older sister did, but instead gravitated for the boy stuff just like his older brother, Ben, they delighted in his choices. And when they were both growing up, Ben spent hours coaching him. So, while Jeremy wasn’t viewed as a boy, he was able to do the boy things he loved and enjoy the friendship and camaraderie of being on and competing in athletic teams. Things all started to change, however, when he and his teammates turned nine. Jo began to realize that Jeremy’s situation was not like her own childhood had been after all. Jeremy, who decided for a while to be called Em, was not outgrowing a predilection for being a tomboy. When he was 19 years old, he happened to be watching an MTV reality show called True Life. It featured a transgender man who described his situation as having been born in a girl’s body and the show chronicled his transition. Watching as he spoke was a watershed moment for Jeremy.

Once a Girl, Always a Boy is a beautifully written account of a transgender boy’s early life and the family who stood beside him all the way. Ivester seamlessly weaves the contributions of her husband, Jeremy’s siblings and sister-in-law, and Jeremy’s video accounts in this honest and moving work. This memoir helps the reader realize that the confusion and turmoil that is puberty becomes even more soul altering when experienced by a transgender child. I was so impressed by Jeremy Ivester’s decision to work with his mother on this story. It would seem that the primary goal of going through surgery and hormone replacement therapy is to be able to live in one’s correct gender without having questions raised about genes or birth gender. His openness in this work is a marvelous gift for future transgender and gender-questioning kids, just as his parents’ support and involvement in being actively involved in transgender rights offer parents a splendid example of how to learn about and support something that might seem so out of the ordinary -- even while it seems to make so much sense. Once a Girl, Always a Boy: A Family Memoir of a Transgender Journey is a stunning and heartfelt story, and the pictures the author includes in the book make the journey feel even more real. Reading this book was a profound and remarkable experience as I was getting to know the Ivester family through their words. It’s most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Bento C. Leal's 4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication in Love, Life, Work—Anywhere! is a handy guide for all readers who want to learn, practice, and improve on their communication skills and relationships bit by bit, day by day. The 4 essential keys to communication shared by the author are the core fundamentals of successful interpersonal communication. Practicing these skills will help readers achieve relationship success and will enable them to take their relationships to a whole new level of intimacy, satisfaction, and success. Using the essential tools suggested in the book will help readers to listen well, express themselves with more clarity, and teach them how to solve problems effectively.

I like the way the author has handled the topic and it is important that readers go through the chapters with an open mind and a willingness to learn new skills. The opportunity for self-reflection is at the end of each chapter where the short questions will help them reflect on what has been said and the appropriate actions that can be taken to implement the skills. The key communication and relationship skills discussed in the book all revolve around the primary skill of empathy and it is a simple guide that is practical and straightforward.

The author has kept this guide short, succinct, and easy to relate to and put into practice. This book is a good reminder to improve on one's communication skills and also on listening skills. The 12-day communication challenge is effective and the real life examples make it easy for readers to connect with the author’s concept and words. Readers will see a steady development in their communication skills, an improvement in their empathy and ability to listen, and they will be able to speak well once they finish reading this book.

Reviewed by Dawn Weaver for Readers' Favorite

The modern American family tends to struggle with the balance between home, school, work, and activity demands. The distractions caused by ever-connected screens make the problem worse. The Well-Balanced Family by Dr. Robert Myers has the answers to help restore balance and teach families to connect in healthy ways. Beginning with outlining the problems seen in our modern families, Dr. Myers then offers a clear plan to help resolve common issues, restore family connectedness, and instill fun and meaning into the times family members share. Complete with guidelines, charts, and ample suggestions adaptable to any family, he covers such topics as family meetings; screen-time limits; types of parenting; healthy parent, child, and sibling relationships; physical activity and fitness; organization and much more.

I cannot say enough good things about The Well-Balanced Family by Dr. Robert Myers! I have three grown children and two that are almost grown. Although we have used many resources as they have grown to help us improve our parenting, I truly wish this book had been available years ago. Do you have a child that cannot seem to get enough screen time? This book teaches you how to address it in a healthy, affirming way to help your child realize the effects and learn to make healthy choices. Do you need help handling sibling rivalry, couch-potato syndrome, or family togetherness? This is the book for you! It presents clearly defined, obtainable objectives and gives you hope that, no matter how far from balanced your family is, the answer is here!

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Incompatible with Nature: A Mother's Story by Tracie Frank Mayer is a poignantly written, engrossing, and hugely inspirational story, a memoir that brilliantly captures the essence of a mother’s love, redefining what it means to be a parent. Afro-American Tracie Frank Mayer doesn’t speak German. She goes to Germany, following the love of her life, and it is here that she gives birth to her first child, Marc. But when the pediatric cardiologist tells her to let her newly born baby die, she knows something is seriously wrong. Yes, the child is born with a rare heart defect. This narrative chronicles her fight to keep her son alive and protected, a journey of resilience, love, and survival.

Here is a story that will fill the eyes of readers with happy tears. It is emotionally and psychologically engaging. Tracie Frank Mayer recounts her story in a very compelling voice, sharing her experience of pain and anxiety, her solitude in a country where she can only speak comfortably to her husband. The story begins with the birth of a much awaited son, an event that quickly becomes one that inspires anxiety. The reader follows her journey as she strives to give her son a normal life. Incompatible with Nature: A Mother's Story is a tale with a powerful message — love heals. Love finds answers. Love permits us to win in the most complicated, difficult, and trying situations. Beautifully written, this narrative extols the grandeur of the human spirit and teaches readers that there is always hope, even in the grimmest of situations.

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Are Your Kids Naked Online? is a non-fiction book focusing on parenting in the digital age, penned by co-authors Chris Good and Lisa Good. Self-described as a guide on ‘How to protect your tech-savvy kids from online self-destruction’, this intriguing book goes beyond the exploitative world of the ‘send nudes’ culture into darker and more concerning areas of the internet to which young people have free and easy access. Designed for parents and guardians who may not be particularly tech-savvy themselves, the book provides comprehensive chapters on important topics such as the Dark Web, Online Pornography, Cyber Bullying and addresses the immediate concerns as well as those of the future of young people.

Co-authors Chris Good and Lisa Good have a wealth of experience in technology and cybersecurity, which gives a professional and authentic edge to the work which has gone into this well organized and comprehensive guidebook. The formatting of the book is such that you can read it in any order depending on the issues which most pertain to your situation at the time, whilst also picking up safety and security tips regardless of how long your kids have been engaged in online activity. There is a very serious note to the narrative, though it is also very non-judgemental and takes into account the nature of teens to explore, follow trends of their friends, and also sometimes get into worlds of which they don’t mean to be a part. Overall, Are Your Kids Naked Online? is an excellent and informative work.

Reviewed by Amanda Rofe for Readers' Favorite

A Chicken in the Wind and How He Grew: Stories From an ADHD Dad by Frank South is a non-fiction memoir recounting the nerve-wracking life of Frank South, off-Broadway playwright, long-time television writer, and producer. He explains, in his own inimitable style, how he deals with life-changing health problems including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), hypomania, myriad other co-morbid disorders, and alcoholism. Husband and father of two, he shares the overwhelming challenges faced by himself and his family. The power of love and strong family bonds see them through, as well as providing a better understanding of ADHD and other mental health issues.

Frank South is a superb raconteur. His writing contains warmth, humor, and originality. Words roll out of the book like an express train, hardly allowing you time to catch up. To say this is an honest account would be an understatement. To describe it as a mental health memoir makes it sound boring. It is funny and deeply profound. I often felt like I was reading a compelling novel. Frank has a way of expressing exactly how he feels that is not only insightful but also entertaining. I love the way the book flits back and forth in time, providing flashbacks of his childhood. He includes many pivotal moments in his life, showing us his workings out on the way. A Chicken in the Wind and How He Grew blows opens the lid on mental illness, confronting the issues and making them far more accessible. I enjoyed this book very much and have no hesitation in recommending it.