Love it or hate it

I found this book to be badly written and quite difficult to follow. The same points could be communicated using half as much paper and the author seems to spend an awful lot of time blowing her own trumpet.
Don't let this put you off though, the underlying theory of the book is a good one but it is not presented simply. I perservered and found that by referring back to certain parts it made a little more sense.
I almost wore myself to a frazzle trying to implement the routines exactly as laid out in the book when I got straight out of hospital and in the end I adjusted and simplifed the routines a little, wrote them on the noticeboard (so my husband knew what was going on!) and everything just clicked.
My little boy has almost completely dropped his night feed at 8 weeks and was sleeping five to seven hours pretty much from ten days old.

The most valuable tip in the early days was to express in the morning so my husband could do the 11pm feed, allowing me to have a bath and get to bed around 9pm.

My advice would be to read the book, and take some of the ideas and fit them into YOUR routine, otherwise its pretty difficult to even leave the house as every minute is accounted for.
Good luck.

A good read

This is an excellent book for any one relatively new to veg and fruit gardening. It is written in Alan T's usual pragmatic style, but also with a good level of passion and humour. The overview at the beginning is the good length, and explains techniques, rather than the 'do as I say' style of some veg authors. For example what may happen if you add manure to your potato patch, and how to rotate crops which are not brassicas, and roots. Why you may want to grow some plants in pots on your patio if you have an allotment which is two miles down the road. There is an section on jobs to do per month, and a lenghty section listed alphabetically by plant. The photo's are very good, and at last a photo of potato blight! Not every brown patch on a leaf is blight. Calendars are helpful to indicate planting sowing and harvesting. However a little confusing at first if one is used to reading seed packets where the information is contained in one or two lines and not three. Alan is organic but does not present this as the only way as other popular garden celebrities do.
Even Mr T though fails to get the science quite correct. Water and vitamins are both chemicals essential to life. Some of the most toxic materials known to man are derived from plants so it should not be assumed that natural is safe. There are a few culinary hints and tips however Sarah Ravens Garden cookbook is not to be missed when wanting lots of seasonal recipes for using the produce you've grown.

Fantastic reference book - often needed for those panic moments!

My friend lent me this book just after I had given birth to my baby daughter and I thought to myself 'nice of her to lend it to me but I'll probably never read it and will just get by with the internet as and when I need to' - but it has often been, I wouldn't say a 'god send', but a great book to refer to at those times when baby is causing concern, or you need some reassurance or if in need of a medical opinion. More often than not you just need to know that something is quite 'normal' or not never been heard of in the world of babies!

This book has come out many a time in the last 10 weeks when my little one is having a few problems (though nothing worrying enough for me to contact a doctor) or when we are just simply curious about something or need something confirming.

Generally it always delivers the answers, which are unbiased and to the point.

I would call this an overall fantastic 'baby bible' for any first time mummies and obviously worth keeping as a manual for the next baby should you be planning on doing it all again?!

An essential book for any parent

This book really does what it says on the cover. The advice is relevant for all parents who want non-confrontational ways of disciplining their children. There are many examples given and old/new ways of dealing with situations. I found myself re-reading chapters as incidents arose within my home. Although changes won't occur overnight there should be improvements in a few days. As a teacher, I also found some of the techniques and suggestions relevant for school, I certainly intend to use them in future.

Excellent Read - guaranteed to impress

As the title suggests - down to earth guide. You can really relate to the author and the information goes further than the usual veg books, rather than the usual colour photos of tools, veg etc, its crammed with tips and advice that are usually passed down from generations. There are diagrams and sketches when needed - simple clear and easy to follow. Another thing I liked was the author covers all methods and doesnt 'preach' a certain method, just gives the facts so you can choose yourself. VERY highly recomended and very thorough. Easy to read and a book I will keep close at hand - fits in the handbag. Such good value for money, every page has been used to its full. Well done John Harrison

An excellent little book

This little gem of a book should be in every backpackers back pocket. Concise, focused and descriptive you'll have no trouble identifying the plants and shellfish. There has been some comments about lack of information on animals to eat, this is probably because rabbits, pheasants and such are classed as game and will belong to the landowner. Whilst it's ok to pick a few plants, mushrooms and shellfish it will probably be frowned on if you start blasting away at the countryside or setting traps!

much better than expected

I tried much of the techniques with my 27 month son - and while it was more than a week he is doing pretty well - as she said if you and your child is ready it will work - if not it won't! Agree about style - if it doesn't work its is somehow your fault but if you ignore that lots of useful ideas and good points - like the idea of a cushion for car seat - also using a chart for you to see how the child is doing - didn't try the star chart as my son is too young in my view crw

The sleep section really works

I had bought this book purely for tips on how to cope with challenging toddler behaviour, but to my delight I found a section on sleep problems. My 16 month old has NEVER slept through the night and since Christmas has slept in bed with us, so On Sunday night I started the controlled crying technique and although he cried for a hour and a half at 2 in the morning by the second night it only lasted 45 mins and the third night he slept from 7-5am(unheard of in our house) and last night he slept from 7-7am. I still cannot believe it has been this easy and we are both keeping our fingers crossed that tonight will be the same, but if it's not I now have the confidence to see it through to conclusion. Christopher Green's sleep training process is easy to follow and is not as harsh as some of the other authors on the market, which I had bought at the same time as this one! If you want to change your child's sleeping habits but are looking for a gentler approach with 100% success then this is for you and there are lots more to the book too.

Useful

I have read The Secrets of Happy Children by Biddulph, and found it extremely useful, so having a small boy on my hands decided me to investigate Raising Boys. I was not disappointed.

What I like most about Biddulph is that he is not preachy. He does not try to ram his message down your throat. He presents his case and is very careful to try and give a balanced view. Reading other reviews I note that some readers are critical of his belief that children are best raised at home until the age of three. I send my son to nursery school for one and a half days per week, and I feel that it is appropriate to do so. I have not changed my mind based on what Biddulph says. I feel that he has to tread a thin line between telling us things that he thinks we need to know and understanding that each child is unique and their special needs, whatever they may be should be catered for. On the whole he does this well.

I feel that he also deals compassionately with the issue of what to do if you are a single mother, and provides clear and pragmatic examples of how to look for and use positive male role models.

I think his down to earth approach, particularly his stressing the fact that parenting is not a perfect job, and even with the best will in the world will always be an ongoing learning process between you and your children is the most humane and accepting that I have read and I thoroughly recommend his work. The only reason this got four stars is because it is a little out of date and could do with a reissue with more statistics.

Excellent Guide for All the Family

This book has been an absolute revelation. Easy step by step guides as to introduce various foods and fantastic recipes that can be adapted for the whole family.Also a very handy A - Z index of foods, and great case studies for any hiccups that can happen. My Little boy (however not so little thanks to this book)eats everything put in front of him and enjoys a fantastic, healthy, varied diet... in fact a lot better diet than his parents. For a family who are worried about weaning would certainly recommend this as their guide. But as with all of Gina's books, should be used as a GUIDE. That way you cant go wrong.

Very clear, useful info

There are many people who loves Gina Ford and others who can't stand her 'rigid ways'. I had to find out myself and I can say that I loved this book. I thought at the beginning that this would be a more comercial book, with lots of nice pictures and less content, but I was wrong. The book has loads of very useful information and is written in a very clear way.
In my opinion, Gina Ford has an amazing knowledge about babies. I'm enjoying every page!.

Our lifesaver!

This book has saved my husband and my sanity! Our twin daughters were running our household and this book helped us take control back and have routines that work so well for our family. Thank you Gina for an amazing book! We also loved the ideas on play, new babies and food. Thank you Gina for saving us and leading us to a more contented life.

The Perfect Puupy - A Perfect Book!

This is an excellent book. Before we got our working cocker spaniel we read lots of different books but in hindsight this was the best one and probably the only one you will need. It has lots of very practical and good advice and is very easy to dip into should a problem arise. We referred to it all the time and have now loaned it to a friend who has also just got a spaniel.
Our dog is now 10 months old and thanks to this book is a pleasure to have around. He has developed no bad habits and this book certainly helped us train him. Along with Jan Fennel's the dog listener, these are the only books you need.

barbaric

Babies are meant to breastfeed through the night not starve/sleep- it amounts to the same effect - dehydration and discomfort

Biased and full of misinformation, opinion presented as fact

This must be one of the worst books on toddler parenting out there.
Many of the 'facts' represented in this book are nothing but the author's own biased opinions. What is even worse is that a great many of these so-called facts are grossly misleading, and in many cases unscientific and false.
One of the worst parts must be the section on extended breastfeeding and why one must absolutely wean at 1 year. This goes against the guidelines put forth by the World Health Organization (recommends breastfeeding for a minimum of 2 years and thereafter as long as mutually desirable), UNICEF, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (breastfeeding benefits continue after one year).
These guidelines follow studies which have proven that the benefits of breastfeeding (nutritional, immunological, cognitive, emotional) continue as long as breastfeeding itself does, and that there never comes a point when you can replace breast milk with infant formula, cows' milk or any other food, or breastfeeding with a pacifier or teddy bear, without some costs to the child.
Reference books such as this one should at least fairly represent each side of the issue. It should include the WHO, AAP and UNICEF guidelines, and describe the benefits of extended BF. Maybe then more women would try it.
What mothers expect from parenting books nowadays is factual scientific evidence (with references), not outdated opinions and an 'if you don't do everything exactly as we say, you are a bad mother' attitude.
Give this one a pass; get the Dr. Sears book for toddlers instead!

What a sell out!

I was thoroughly looking forward to a rollocking good read as I'm quite a fan of JSP's particular brand of philosophy. However, having made disparaging remarks about health, beauty and fitness gurus and journalists, Ms SP goes on to present us with her own 'expertise' on how to eat healthily (all fresh fruit and veg, limited bread and potatoes etc - heard it all before!), exercise (not to lose weight, you understand, but you've still got to do an hour a day, albeit in shifts: she's apparently unconcerned about exercising too seriously, but is happy to do sit-ups to The Archers!)and eliminate eye bags. Oh please! This so smacks of just another self-help book along the lines of those she dismisses as utter rubbish - except that in this case the person writing it has no credentials in her subject matter whatsoever!

As an example, there is a section on how damaging and generally useless 'cranky' diets are, yet at the bottom of the spread is an illustration of a whole week's eating plan: I was at a complete loss to fathom from the text whether the illustrated diet was one of the 'cranky' eating regimes she was slating, or whether it was her own recommended weekly intake!

In short, JSP has totally sold out - which is hardly the action I would have expected of a woman who openly savages anyone trying to make a(dishonestly) fast buck. In my view this is sheer hypocrisy.

Oh, and one final thing: who the hell sub-edited this book? Speaking here as a fellow author (and erstwhile sub editor), although Ms JP could be forgiven for not having a full grasp of grammar, it should not have escaped the attention of any sub worth his or her salt that 'its' when use in the context of a possessive pronoun (eg 'its own style') should NOT carry an apostrophe. This error recurs throughout the book. Anything to say about that, Lynne Truss?

Good book for those considering to keep pet Chucks

I got this book before getting my chickens and it gave me a high level overview of what would be required. I would recommend this book to any one considering getting pet chickens but once you have your chucks you will probably be best getting a more detailed book to help with those niggly intial queries.

the best book I ever bought

Genuinely, this book has enriched my life. This sounds very strong language, but a glimpse of how achieveable a degree of self sufficiency can be is a great stress-buster and very uplifting.

Practical, useful, full of ideas and inspiration, this book will motivate anyone to take a step or two towards self sufficiency, wherever they live.

Every chapter is interesting, well written, and well illustrated. The craft skills are useful and practical and whilst a compost-toilet is not quite the thing for our garden in the suburbs, all the practical projects are well described and amply illustrated.

A great reference book, a comfort on a cold winter's night, I recommend it to anyone.

Proper User Guide for a Veg Plot

Too many gardening authors take time out to wax lyrical about seasons and the joys of blackbirds and dew on your runner canes. Their books end up as a decent afternoon's read, but difficult to use when you're trying to work out what's going wrong with your kohlrabi.

This book is different. Veg are listed alphabetically with clear sections on selecting varieties, planting, looking after, harvesting and cooking, with a troubleshooting guide covering disease, pests, storage and the like.

No nonsense, everything you need and easy to find.

Got a garden?, then buy this book

Got a garden? Then buy this book. Don't argue, just buy it! Every once in a while you encounter a book which is just head an shoulders above the others in its subject and this is one of those books.

Having this book is a little like having an experienced gardener over one fence who can give a kindly word when he sees you about to make an expensive mistake with the wrong plant or wrong treatment while at the same time over the opposite fence is an expert DIY fan who can tell you which tool to use and how to level your ground before constructing a patio. As others have said this is a book which will rapidly pay for itself simply because it can stop you making those mistakes.

Is there anything it won't do. Well obviously it can not be absolutely comprehensive. If you want to construct a zen garden it won't tell you the finer points of feng shui to know how to align the garden. Indeed any highly specific subjects it won't cover but for a single point of reference this is excellent. This is a book in the spirit of gardening before TV makeover programmes tried to tell people that ripping out all your top soil and putting down decking was gardening so while it won't bother with the fripperies of design it will deal with the practicalities and as others have said that will save you more than the cost of this book in avoiding expensive mistakes.

This is an absolute must buy for anyone who is into or who wants to be into gardening. I have used my previous copy for years and I would expect this new edition to last just as long. Look at it in that light and this is not an expensive book but it is an invaluable one.