Books for parents

In times of recession, precycling could be the way forward to save money, writes Alex Bell in her review of Paul Peacock's book, Precycle!

Sue O'Neill reviews Healing Touch for Children in which author and practitioner Mary Atkinson describes how to use and perform massage, reflexology and acupressure on children aged four to 12 years old.

This latest book The Food Doctor -Super Eating by Ian Marber - is billed as "a revolutionary way to get more from the foods you eat". Just another book on nutrition or a new way to look at the food we eat? asks Anne Coates.

Written with David Miller and Dr James Braly, this book proposes "The fast, highly effective way to end addiction to caffeine, sugar, cigarettes, alcohol, illicit or prescription drugs". How to QUIT without feeling S**T offers timely advice for New Year's resolutions!

Subtitled "For every woman who wants to look her best", Anne Coates thinks Dress Like a Star is a must read for for women and girls of every age. 

This book celebrates the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, seen through the eyes of a host of "famous people who reveal the strange and beautiful truth about themselves and their grandparents".

Ann Lloyd reviews a family cookbook by the celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson and, like Oliver Twist, is left asking for more!

Mother of two daughters, one of whom is 14, and a teacher with many years experience teaching teenage pupils with a variety of special needs, Julia Bairstow was well placed to review Your Defiant Teen 10 Steps to Resolve Conflict and Rebuild your Relationship.

Patient UK, one of the most trusted health websites on the internet, has published Health Matters to give patients a "fuller picture of their illnesses and provide inspiration and support". Anne Coates reviews a book which is a great standby for family health concerns.

Why do women fail to negotiate pay rises the way their male colleagues do? Or delegate household chores within the family? Probably there has never been a more opportune time to hone those skills. Karen Trinder investigates Why women don’t ask by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever.

Having adopted two boys four years ago, Tim Walder was ideally placed to review Holly Noseda's Adoption and Fostering: A Parent’s Guide.

David Willows delves into A Guide for Men in Middle Life by Dr Ian Wilson and with a foreword by Dr Thomas Stuttaford, and is suitably impressed!

Anne Coates reviews a book billed as "The first definitive guide to family travel... taking your children anywhere from Cornwall to Cambodia, Andalucia to Zambia."

Louise Pollard who works in community contraception and sexual health services reviews Nicollete Heaton-Harris'  book on STIs.

With so many books published about diet and nutrition it's sometimes hard to know what to believe. Patrick Holford is recognised as a leading expert in his field and Anne Coates unreservedly recommends his latest tome: Optimum Nutrition Made Easy.

Sian Minett reviews Kristina Murrin's 10 Step Plan and highly recommends How to Have Healthy Happy Children.

Most of us start off with the idea of being the perfect parent but soon realise that's an impossibility! Feeling we aren't good enough - perfect! - can undermine our self esteem and make us blind to what we really have achieved. Be Happy without Being Perfect, reviewed by Karen Trinder, exposes how the search for perfection can lead to dissatisfaction and gives strategies to overcome this.

How to Get Your Health Shape and Sanity Back After Childbirth - reviewed by Alex Bell two months after baby Pippa was born!