Longtime director of Parent Guidance Workshops, Samalin here offers practical advice on coping with anger when dealing with children. Her take-home message is that feeling angry is okay; acting in anger is something else again. With the writing help of Whitney (Uncommon Lives, 1990), Samalin presents specific problems parents have related to her and offers techniques that have worked for others. Readers will recognize the situations, identify with the anger and anguish of both children and parents, wince at the mistakes parents make, and even laugh out loud (kids do say the darndest things). Although Samalin focuses on everyday problems of ordinary parents, she also tackles special situations, such as those faced by divorced parents and parents of disabled children. (Abusive parents are referred to other sources for help.) There are no promises here of instant success and no guarantees that every suggestion will work with every child every time, but the tone is reassuring, and the chance to share the experiences of other less-than-perfect parents is, as always, comforting. Parental anger is not the only issue discussed; advice is also given on coping with the anger of children toward parents, siblings, and peers. Samalin stresses that children, like adults, have a right to feel angry and that the job of the parent is to help the child find acceptable ways to express anger. A well-written, heartening guide for the parent who needs help in handling anger.
Pub Date: June 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-670-83136-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1991
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
