Raising Engaged Humans: A Book List for Big-Hearted Parents
For more than 15 years Doing Good Together has been creating picture and chapter book lists for big-hearted parents. We love helping parents harness the power of a good read to inspire kind kids.
Until now, however, we’ve offered scant guidance for parents looking to embellish their own bookshelves.
The best nonfiction offers much-needed guidance and inspiration in times of change, and nothing thrusts us into a constant state of change quite like parenting. That’s why we’re excited to roll out this growing list of books for big-hearted parents!
My first instinct as a parent, whenever I find myself stranded in a sea of change, is to reach for a great book. In fact, one of my earliest parenting memories was book-based.
Looking back, the intensity of those early days of parenthood still takes my breath away. The overwhelming love and awe I felt when my firstborn gazed at me with those wide, trusting eyes. Her tiny, kissable feet. The miraculous curl of her fingers.
And that heart-stopping, panicky sense of being far out to sea with no idea how to sail my new little family to anything resembling normal life.
Back then, as always, books helped me navigate. In those early days, while I learned to nurse our new baby, my husband would sit nearby and read little newborn facts from my favorite book at the time. I vividly remember those moments, snuggled with my baby in my grandmother’s chair, my husband seated on the floor by the crib reading aloud about how far our baby could see by week one, how often they might sleep (ha!) by week twelve. This bookish routine was such a comfort, a hand in the darkness, a map guiding us to shore.
Over the years, I’ve continued to lean on expert perspectives and insights as my children have grown and changed through sometimes (often!) baffling phases.
At DGT we know that books give us the gift of perspective, a sense that we are not alone on this journey to raise empowered, engaged kids. The books we’ve gathered below offer
inspiration to try something new when the status quo isn’t working,
encouragement and hope at the end of a hard day, and
practical, doable ideas to help you raise kind, community-minded kids.
There are many ways to be a good parent. And there are more parenting books than any of us could possibly read. We’ve assembled this collection specifically for you, the purposeful parent, the sustainable parent hoping to raise children with a heart for the world.
Each book was chosen for its unique and exceptional contribution to your efforts to raise engaged kids.
Featured Title
Simple Acts: The Busy Family's Guide to Giving Back by Natalie Silverstein
DGT’s very own NYC Volunteer Listing Coordinator, Natalie Silverstein, has written a book based on the lessons she’s learned while living out Doing Good Together’s mission with her family. In the book, Simple Acts: The Busy Family's Guide to Giving Back Natalie offers hundreds of practical ideas − from visiting the elderly to helping clean the playground on Earth Day − for incorporating service and the spirit of giving into your family life. The book is both a call to action and a hands-on resource showing parents how to impart good values while helping those in need.
Disclaimer: Doing Good Together™ participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.
More DGT Favorites
The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children by Alison Gopnik
Do we build strong children from the ground up or nurture the garden of their childhood so they can grow and thrive throughout their lives? This thought-provoking, evidence-based book offers fresh ideas for any parent looking to lay the groundwork for a lifetime of self-motivation, compassion, and connection.
The Parents’ Guide to Climate Revolution: 100 Ways to Build a Fossil-Free Future, Raise Empowered Kids, and Still Get a Good Night’s Sleep by Mary DeMocker
DeMocker expansively defines climate as our global atmosphere (of course), along with the climates of “our home, relationships, neighborhood, school, and job; and our national political and cultural climate.” Her tips mirror many of the community-building, civic-minded tips we promote here at DGT. In fact, what DGT has always called purposeful parenting sounds a lot like what Democker calls sustainable parenting. This book is sure to inspire new practices for your family.
Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety: A Complete Guide to Your Child’s Stressed, Depressed, Expanded, Amazing Adolescence by John Duffy
Starting earlier than you might expect and lasting far longer, your child’s “teen” years will be easier to navigate and will feel more connected with the gentle guidance of this brilliant book.
Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids by Hunter Clarke-Fields
From the creator of the Mindful Mama podcast comes a book full of insights, strategies, and exercises designed to help you raise kind, compassionate, and curious kids.
The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
The brilliant duo that brought us The Whole Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline is back with a fresh, pragmatic approach to encouraging all of the traits that will empower your child to live generously and courageously in our complex modern world.
Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World by Michele Borba
This book, featured here in a DGT interview with Borba, is essential reading for big-hearted parents everywhere. In it you'll find Borba's nine strategies for putting empathy into action, including creative approaches to perennial favorites here at Doing Good Together: nurturing emotional awareness, standing up for others, and instilling moral courage. As the title suggests, Borba's book irrefutably demonstrates that nurturing compassion in our kids prepares them for a lifetime of success.
We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations that Matter by Celeste Headlee
This is not expressly a parenting book, but here at DGT we believe that having conversations that matter is crucial at every age. Discover excellent tips and loads of anecdotes that will help you connect with your kids and role model meaningful connections with others. Also, watch her popular TED Talk, 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation.
This list will grow. Check back often!
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Disclaimer: Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.