Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Description

Camping in the garden, riding bikes through the woods, climbing trees, collecting bugs and butterflies, picking wildflowers, running through piles of autumn leaves, cooking over a campfire and telling ghost stories under the stars . somewhere the pleasures of a free-range childhood have been lost. And with the indoor habits of today's children come other problems - epidemic obesity, attention-deficit disorder, isolation and childhood depression. This urgent book, which has inspired the influential international movement Leave No Child Inside, has not only highlighted the problem and sparked debate; it also offers practical advice on how to help children to enjoy the natural world - starting in our parks and gardens, homes and schools. This is a clarion call, brilliantly written, compelling and irresistibly persuasive - a book to change minds and lives.

Richard Louv, winner of the 2008 Audobon Medal, is chairman of the Children and Nature Network and honorary co-chair of the National Forum on Children and Nature. He is the author of seven other books and has written for newspapers and magazines including the New York Times and the Washington Post.

"'This is a hugely important book that should be read by every parent, teacher and politician... It's message is about connection to nature... This restatement of a truth we all know, deep inside, has never been more timely.' Tim Smit, Chief Executive of The Eden Project 'Nature is as important to children as food and sleep... Much like outdoor play itself, Last Child in the Woods actively engages... What Louv certainly persuades of is that in nature a child finds freedom... and genuine creativity...' Rosie Boycott, Literary Review 'A cri de coeur for our children' Margaret Stead, Guardian 'A single sentence explains why Louv's book is so important: "our children", he writes, "are the first generation to be raised without meaningful contact with the natural world." This matters, and Last Child in the Woods makes it patently clear why and lays out a path back.' Ecologist"