Under the Chinaberry Tree: Books and Inspirations for Mindful Parenting

by Ann Ruethling, Patti Pitcher

Celebrating Chinaberry's twentieth anniversary, the women behind America's beloved children's book catalog share their wisdom about the joys of children's literature and parenting.

The Chinaberry catalog was created when Ann Ruethling became troubled by the violence in many old-fashioned nursery stories and the poor grammar or mediocre plots in newer children's books. Handpicking a hundred high-quality titles a year, she has become an indispensable friend to thousands of parents, and Chinaberry has become a gold standard for its industry.

Under the Chinaberry Tree celebrates the world of children's books. In warm "one-mother-to-another" prose, Ruethling and her business partner, Patti Pitcher, reflect on the family-first concepts that resonate so strongly with Chinaberry fans and all parents. Exploring the books that have made a difference in their children's lives, the tender experience of reading with children and the moments that make parenting a unique journey, this guide is sure to enrich every family's bookshelf.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Books About Books

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 11, 2003

Reviews

[aMandalin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was soooo good !!! I can’t recommend all the kids book recommendations enough.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has great book recommendations. Many are personal family favorites already, some I had forgotten about and promptly added to my library list. The only thing I'd say is that quite a few of the books recommended came up as out of print on Amazon. But as long as the library has them, then that's not a big deal.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is mostly reviews of children's books strung together with some thoughts. It is good, but I didn't find it very easy to read through, and the book review info is available on their website: www.chinaberry.com

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

great reference book. You can flip it open to any page and get some good insight. Can't say I actually read every page, but I enjoyed the ones I did.

[Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, I love it.

[Rachel Rouleau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful parenting book. In between all the children’s book recommendations are valuable pieces of advice, activity ideas, recipes, and stories from the authors’ own early years of parenting. While a bit hippy-dippy-crunchy-granola for me at times, overall I appreciated the calming effect of their words of wisdom. The message is: parenting is the hardest thing you’ll ever do, but you can do it, and it’s well worth it. Their philosophy promotes keeping childhood simple and focusing on the basics. One flaw is that many of the books they recommend are out of print - but that makes searching for them at book sales and libraries all the more fun. This is a great book for parents of young children.