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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In this book Alfie Kohn talks us through the difference between conditional and unconditional ways of being towards our children. He argues that if we’re truly unconditional our children will thrive. And then he tells us what the science says this looks like in practice. Like all of his books, this one has a strong academic/research […]
This is the book that started it all for me. Alfie Kohn wrote it back in 1993 and while the science has definitely progressed (and some of Kohn’s arguments are due for an update), the general principles in this book are lifechanging. I quit my career after I read this, went back to school, and […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
