There’s no one way to successfully parent (if only there were—this whole parenting thing would be so much easier!). While the best advice is probably to follow your instincts and cut yourself a break when you make a mistake, these new books offer fresh, sometimes funny insight into the world’s hardest job.

I’m not going to lie—I fully expected to dislike The Brainy Bunch. Kip and Mona Lisa Harding have gotten a lot of media attention for homeschooling their children and getting six of their 10 kids into college by the age of 12. What’s the rush? I wondered indignantly. Why can’t you let your kids be kids?

But the Hardings’ story is very much one of putting love and family first. They are not pushing their children to overachieve—they are helping them find their own unique potential. The book is filled with useful tips, sample schedules and fun projects—and even sections written by some of the children themselves. (Chapters also start with Bible verses, so if that’s not your thing, this may not be the book for you.)

“Our children were not joining fraternities and sororities or going to the weekend parties,” they write. “Instead, they were actually spending more time with our family than if they had been attending a public high school. Our kids actually get to experience more of their childhood because they have more freedom in their education and lives.”

HILARITY ENSUES
In How Not to Calm a Child on a Plane, TV writer Johanna Stein offers a deliciously funny reminder that parenting doesn’t have to be so serious. To wit: When her child was born, Stein took the placenta home from the hospital in order to play a joke on her best friend. That story alone is worth the price of the book.

Chapter 17, written in all caps, enumerates the many ways her preschooler has insulted her. Favorites include, “Mommy, your tummy looks like a bagel” and “Clara and I were playing in your underpants. They fit both of us at the same time, ha ha!”

Stein is definitely not trying to replicate What to Expect When You’re Expecting. If anything, she is the anti-parenting guide, subtly using funny anecdotes to demonstrate that we can have fun with childrearing. She might not bestow nursing tips or ideas for planning the perfect playdate, but she will make you laugh—a lot—about the sweetness, messiness and absurdity of parenting.

SLEEP TIGHT
La Leche League International’s newest book on how to breastfeed and still get some shut-eye is chock-full of advice and information. Maybe too chock-full? At more than 500 pages, one could argue that Sweet Sleep might be a little overwhelming for a sleep-deprived new parent. But the editors smartly break the information into digestible bits organized by topics and age ranges. And for any parent desperate for an uninterrupted few hours of sleep, the advice is worth the read.

Sweet Sleep includes extensive information on creating a safe sleep space, helping children learn to sleep on their own and defusing criticism of your family’s choices. La Leche League sometimes is (undeservedly) portrayed as an extremist group, but this book is nothing but supportive of whatever your choices are about nursing and sleeping.

NURTURING YOUNG READERS
Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age, by former Mediabistro editor Jason Boog, is a book that couldn’t have been written even five years ago. Used to be, you grabbed a copy of Pat the Bunny and maybe a Dr. Seuss, and you were good to go for several years.

But new research and technology have made the seemingly simple topic of reading with your child much more complicated. Who hasn’t watched a toddler master an iPad faster than her parents? How can a print book ever compete with the newest Disney app?

But we now know just how important reading from birth is—it can help build vocabulary and strengthen adult-child bonds. Boog offers straightforward advice—based on his research and conversations with experts, and on his own parenting experience—about how to make the most of time spent reading with your child. Sing, ask questions, use the book to springboard to conversations about bigger issues. Boog shows you how in this fascinating and user-friendly guide to helping develop a lifelong reader.

TAKING CHARGE
Keep Calm and Parent On, by child development specialist Emma Jenner, is a no-nonsense guidebook for even the most unsure parents among us. Her message, delivered in a brisk, British, stiff-upper-lip manner, is that saying no to your kids doesn’t mean you don’t love them. In fact, it might be just what they need to hear.

“You do not have to cater to your children and be an on-demand cook,” Jenner writes in a chapter called—of course—A Tale of Porridge and Pudding. “Your family kitchen is not a restaurant, so don’t let your children treat it like one!”

Jenner has appeared on TLC’s “Take Home Nanny,” and her years of experience are apparent on every page of this wonderfully practical tome. Like a British nanny, Keep Calm and Parent On is gentle but firm, a reminder to this generation of parents that we really are in charge of our children, not the other way around. With Jenner’s advice in your pocket, you will feel equipped to parent on, indeed.

This article was originally published in the August 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Former Mediabistro publishing editor, new father Boog interviewed childhood development experts, librarians, and children's book authors and publishers to offer an interactive approach to making children readers. With a foreword by Betsy Bird of the New York Public Library.

Most parents spend time thinking about how to give their child a competitive advantage in our fast-paced society. Interactive reading gives kids a significant edge, writes journalist Boog, a former publishing editor at Mediabistro, where he was also lead editor of the site's GalleyCat publishing blog. He asserts that there is a right way to read to your child between birth and age five. For each year, Boog provides a reading list and specific storytelling lessons, which include key questions to ask children to scaffold understanding. The book's "Playbook" section has tips and conversation starters to help novices navigate the read-aloud experience. For the higher preschool levels, Boog shares how following these reading guidelines correlates with specific Common Core standards. The explosion of digital devices is bringing a new face to reading, and the author shares how to make ereaders, smartphones, and tablets complement rather than distract from the book experience. He includes digital resources, apps, and audiobooks. VERDICT Boog's work helps parents navigate the world of reading and harness the positive power of digital technology. Librarians, preschool teachers, and parents will find this a valuable resource for building childhood literacy. [See Prepub Alert, 2/3/14.]—Julia M. Reffner, Fairport, NY

In his first book, former GalleyCat blogger Boog surveys current research on early childhood brain development and shares experiences of raising his daughter, Olive, to appreciate books from infancy. The result is a paean to the advantages interactive reading gives children by the time they reach preschool. Boog's "Born Reading Playbook" contains many good ideas. He suggests that parents can engage young children with reading by extending the ideas in books to learning about the world in an age-appropriate manner. Although Boog does not object to electronic media, he does object to parents who use media and electronics as a babysitter, especially for children younger than two. His book, audiobook, and app recommendations are thoughtful, current, and specific; "Born Reading Bundles" suggest ways to combine books, new media, and conversation topics. The concluding comparison between kindergarten Common Core standards and the skills developed through interactive reading methods focuses on academic readiness and advantage rather than the love of reading. Despite the book's strengths, Boog's focus on the successes, but not the challenges, of his daughter's experience, inadvertently makes him seem like a know-it-all rather than an educator or peer. Agent: David Patterson, Foundry Literary + Media. (July)

Boog makes a strong argument for why caregivers of children ages birth to five need not simply read aloud, but also interact with children to ensure maximum nurturing and brain development. In fact, he states early on that "hospitals should be handing out interactive reading pamphlets along with diapers as new parents head home." He tackles the digital debate as well. While suggesting that parents try to adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics policy advising zero screen time for children under two years of age, he advocates that any time a child spends on an electronic device should be as interactive as possible. Calling his collection of reading/interacting strategies "the born reading playbook," the author gives practical and smart advice, along with explanations of the 15 skills detailed throughout the book—all without sounding preachy. While some of his ideas are commonplace ("ask lots of questions" and "read together"), other suggestions ("follow the things your child loves" and "guide your child beyond what they already know") might be novel ideas for parents unsure about how to effectively read aloud to young children. Each chapter lists 10 suggested books to share. Chapters are arranged by age, and as the levels increase, so too do Boog's suggestions for how to use books and digital devices. "Born Reading Bundles" are a combination of print books and multimedia activities to share with children. His conclusion focuses on the Common Core State Standards, noting that "parents will have to do more work outside the classroom to encourage…individual interests." He also notes that his born reading playbook skills tie into the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards. This will be a useful title for all libraries to include in both their parenting and professional reading collections.—Lisa Kropp, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY