Publisher Description
New York Times and Washington Post contributor Richard Louv is the widely respected author of seven previous books. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv illustrates how children’s interaction with nature leads to better social and emotional development.
Children used to spend untold hours playing in the great outdoors. But all too often today, this time is spent playing video games or surfing the internet. And technology is not the only culprit when it comes to separating kids from nature. Parents, fearful of sexual predators and other outdoor dangers, are keeping children within the safe confines of their homes. Little do they realize that this “protection” is contributing to obesity, attention disorders, and emotional instability.
With eye-opening research and illustrative anecdotes, Louv demonstrates the growing threat to today’s youth and offers effective methods for reintroducing children to nature—and thereby giving today’s children a gift of immeasurable importance.
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“This book is better than the number of stars I gave it. I think his main point– that kids need to be in nature a lot more than they currently are– is accurate and worth thinking about. Louv tries to make this case using just about every argument he can think of, which may or may not appeal to any particular reader. The religious arguments didn’t move me, nor did the overly romanticized images and experiences of nature. But I did find compelling his discussion of environemtal benefits (and he’s right on that organized environmentalists need to include kids and parents in their movements) and nature’s positive effects on kids who suffer ADHD, depression, or autism. Folks who read and enjoyed Deep Economy by Bill McKibeen and/or Living Simply With Children by Marie Sherlock will find similar ideas explored here.”
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Anastasia (4 out of 5 stars)
