This is a collection of things that the members of the Happy Families team just LOVE. Some of them relate to parenting, some don’t, but they’re all things we think might add value and a little spark of joy to your life like they have to ours. ✨
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The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog is, on the surface, a hard book to read because of the subject matter. It’s a book about abused and neglected children. I some ways it is a book about the very worst that humanity might do to its young. And yet, when we see great tragedy […]
I read this book aloud to my 9 year old, Clay. He was completely rapt. The adorable and not-so-enormous dragon Fyrian, was his favourite character, and the ethical dilemmas that the story posed prompted some deep and thought-provoking conversations between us. The story was simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. I could barely put it down when […]
Steelheart is the first of 3 books in The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson. Perfect for tweens and teens, but great for adults too. My whole family just love these books. They’re clean, funny, and PACKED with adventure. EVELYNNE Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men […]
My grandfather Bill loved Wilbur Smith books and recommended this one to me as a teenager. I love ancient history; especially Ancient Egyptian history and this book is fantastic. This writing is very vivid, and I can always imagine myself right there in the scenes he is describing. It has a number of follow up […]
I was given a prize for English one year at school and took my voucher down to the bookstore and purchased this book. Every year I will read this book and I never tire of it. I love the characters, history and the complete rags to riches tale. It’s wonderful. This began my love of […]
This book is a big tradition is our house. Many a year I remember sitting on the floor and turning the pages to pick my next birthday cake. I had the train, the swimming pool, the rabbit and they all bring back great memories of parties in our home and the time and effort mum […]
From the day our son was born we have read to him. As a newborn he had no idea what we were reading but it helped us as parents cement story time into the evening routine and we love it. 9 years later he will still ask for ‘stories’ at bedtime and we have read […]
So much of our science is based on averages. But the trouble is… no one is average. Using amazing stories, terrific insight, and loads of compelling narrative, Todd Rose talks about why we need to do better to understand what great solutions are for our children. Accessible, intelligent, and sure to change the way you […]
I think that this is my book of the year. Dark Horse unpacks the Standardisation Covenant that most of the world has unquestioningly accepted: the idea that if you follow the standardised route you might attain excellence – if you’re better than everyone else. Then, using research from Harvard’s Dark Horse project, Rose absolutely goes […]
One of my favourite books this year from a genuinely nice guy (and rock-solid scholar). Marc Brackett runs the Centre for Emotional Intelligence at Yale University. His book outlines why emotions matter, how we think they work, and what we can do (following his evidence-based RULER program) to be better with our own emotions and the emotions of others. I […]
I love memoirs that are well written and thought provoking. This is both and more. Fajgenbaum was a privileged rich kid who was studying medicine when he almost died from a rare disease (that’s apparently not so rare – it’s just that no one had heard of it). He didn’t just almost die. He endured […]
It’s hard to think of what to write about a book that is so outstanding. Haidt and Lukianoff are extraordinary. The book is fabulous. Haidt is the author of the Happiness Hypothesis, a book I’ve often claimed as one of the best books in psychology ever written. This book doesn’t reach those heights, but it is still a genuine 5 star book in every way. The authors argue […]
I LOVED this book! I’ve recommended it several times since I read it. Lori wrote an outstanding article for The Atlantic a few years back called “How to Land Your Kid in Therapy.” I’ve remembered her ever since and when I saw this book I knew I had to have it. It’s essentially a memoir, but it absolutely […]