by Douglas A. Riley, EdD,
Lifelong Books, $15.00, 224 pages
Not all kids are created equal, but they do have some similarities. Dr. Riley’s Box of Tricks looks at quirky kids, and how to solve those quirks. Dr. Riley is the first to point out that his tricks are not for children with problems that require counseling, such as those with anger management issues. However, for the rest of them, who are essentially normal kids but every so often develop temporary behaviors, such as picky eating, he has developed a number of tricks for ensuring that those behaviors really are temporary. The tricks are easy to implement and very efficient at eliminating problem behaviors.
This book reminds parents that one of the best tricks is to simply be there and to listen. The other tricks in the book require a little courage on the part of the parents, but by sticking to their guns, the tricks should help most parents get past those rough parts of childhood, and ensure their kids survive. For parents that frequently have to deal with kids’ more obnoxious behavior this book will be one that is referred to frequently.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim