Posted on Jan 17, 2003

Library Journal Reviews January 15, 2003 Wednesday SECTION: BOOK REVIEWS; Arts and Humanities; Pg. 112 LENGTH: 223 words HEADLINE: Under the Chinaberry Tree: Books and Inspirations for Mindful Parenting BYLINE: Asha Curran BODY: Ruethling, Ann & Patti Pitcher. . Broadway. Jan. 2003. c.288p. ISBN 0-7679-1202-0. pap. $14.95. LIT This heartfelt book, a guide to the very best in children's literature, is filled with morsels of cheerful yet substantial wisdom from Ruethling and Pitcher, mothers and business partners who run the successful Chinaberry catalog. Each chapter includes musings on parenting, recommended books, practical ideas and advice, recipes, crafts, and random boxed paragraphs of homespun wisdom: subjects range from helping kids learn to read to creating daily rituals to celebrating the seasons to cultivating patience and compassion in one's self and one's children. The real treasures within each section, though, are the book reviews: the authors' choices, based on their obvious love of books and their prodigious breadth of knowledge, are intellectually impeccable and emotionally inspired. The book's overly precious design - a plethora of dainty hearts and insects everywhere - belies the mostly sagacious content, which will be invaluable for any parent wanting to make worthy reading decisions or gather tips for more profound communication and celebration with their children. An engaging companion to Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn's The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting; recommended for public libraries. - Asha Curran, "Library Journal" Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information US a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved