From a distinctive, inimitable voice, a wickedly funny and fascinating romp through the strange and often contradictory history of Western parenting Why do we read our kids fairy tales about homicidal stepparents? How did helicopter parenting develop if it used to be perfectly socially acceptable to abandon your children? Why do we encourage our babies to crawl if crawling won’t help them learn to walk?
These are just some of the questions that came to Jennifer Traig when—exhausted, frazzled, and at sea after the birth of her two children—she began to interrogate the traditional parenting advice she’d been conditioned to accept at face value. The result is Act Natural, hilarious and deft dissection of the history of Western parenting, written with the signature biting wit and deep insights Traig has become known for. 
Moving from ancient Rome to Puritan New England to the Dr. Spock craze of mid-century America, Traig cheerfully explores historic and present-day parenting techniques ranging from the misguided, to the nonsensical, to the truly horrifying. Be it childbirth, breastfeeding, or the ways in which we teach children how to sleep, walk, eat, and talk, she leaves no stone unturned in her quest for answers: Have our techniques actually evolved into something better? Or are we still just scrambling in the dark?

Act Natural: A Cultural History of Misadventures in Parenting

Humor & Entertainment

Traig, Jennifer

Humor

Ecco

From a distinctive, inimitable voice, a wickedly funny and fascinating romp through the strange and often contradictory history of Western parenting Why do we read our kids fairy tales about homicidal stepparents? How did helicopter parenting develop if it used to be perfectly socially acceptable to abandon your children? Why do we encourage our babies to crawl if crawling won’t help them learn to walk?
These are just some of the questions that came to Jennifer Traig when—exhausted, frazzled, and at sea after the birth of her two children—she began to interrogate the traditional parenting advice she’d been conditioned to accept at face value. The result is Act Natural, hilarious and deft dissection of the history of Western parenting, written with the signature biting wit and deep insights Traig has become known for. 
Moving from ancient Rome to Puritan New England to the Dr. Spock craze of mid-century America, Traig cheerfully explores historic and present-day parenting techniques ranging from the misguided, to the nonsensical, to the truly horrifying. Be it childbirth, breastfeeding, or the ways in which we teach children how to sleep, walk, eat, and talk, she leaves no stone unturned in her quest for answers: Have our techniques actually evolved into something better? Or are we still just scrambling in the dark?

ACT NATURAL

EccoPress

A woman who suffered from an undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder in her childhood recounts how her overzealous drive for perfection and incessant hand-washing rituals compromised her daily life and strained her relationship with her good-natured parents. 40,000 first printing.

Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Little. Brown and Company

A crafty girl knows: when a plain old pencil holder is bringing you down, it's time to get crafty. Crafty Girl: Cool Stuff is your muse, your jolt of creative juice, your ticket to the crafty parade. Sure, an ordinary calculator adds it up, but a crafty girl's ultra-beaded glamulator makes math look good. With over 40 fabulous ways to say "I'm crafty," Cool Stuff will have crafty girls everywhere transforming ordinary anythings into glitter and rhinestone visions of paradise.

Crafty Girl: Cool Stuff

Teen & Young Adult

Balmain, Julianne

Art, Music & Photography

Chronicle Books+

We know, beauty is only skin deep. But who doesn't love a healthy sparkle? Crafty Girl: Beauty is the ultimate guide to becoming fabulous from the inside out. With over 40 simple recipes you can whip up in the time it takes to skin an avocado, dozens of full-color illustrations throughout, sassy drawings, and attitude to burn, Crafty Girl is more than a book--it's a way of life.

Beauty: Things to Make and Do (Crafty Girl)

Personal Health

Bored in the backyard? Restless in your room? What's a crafty girl to do? Plenty, that's what. With a copy of Crafty Girl: Fun and Games at her side, a crafty girl will quit the bored game and start playing her very own crafty board game. With more than forty fantastic ideas for activities that will make any time a good time, Crafty Girl: Fun and Games wrestles boredom down on the mat and makes it cry for mercy. Go nuts in the kitchen with Kitchen Sink Cookies and other kooky experiments, get busy with a hallway bowling tournament or an afternoon of backyard croquet, whip up a batch of homemade art supplies and start on that masterpiece. Whatever her mood, a crafty girl can find the goods in Crafty Girl: Fun and Games. From Custom Car Bingo to Magical Mini-Golf, Crafty Girl: Fun and Games is every girl's handbook for crafty good times.

Crafty Girl: Fun and Games: Things to Make and Do

A crafty girl knows that true style comes by way of vision and daring-along with a healthy dose of sequins, fake fur, and funky fabric. Enter Crafty Girl: Accessories, the next book in the winning Crafty Girl series, and the grooviest-ever guide to making bags, hats, hair-wear, and more. From the pretty to the punk, its positively packed with projects to brighten up any wardrobe. Too cool for school? Not too cool for the Bohemian Backpack. And Starlet Sparkle shades make it easy to go incognito on those days when a crafty girl just cant bear the paparazzi. Kitten Mittens keep the paws toasty, and a Milkmaid Kerchief tames the tresses. With more than 40 projects and handy stencils at the back, Crafty Girl: Accessories is the ultimate handbook for creating sparkly, spangly fashion masterpieces.

Crafty Girl: Accessories: Things to Make and Do

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Crafts & Hobbies

What would happen if Martha Stewart were abducted by a tribe of trailer park rabbis? Judaikitsch! Filled to the brim with crafts, collectibles, and creative cooking, here’s the ultimate guide to a funky, festive Jewish lifestyle. From everyday kitsch to holiday entertaining-and loads of mishegoss in between-Judaikitsch asks the all-important question: Why eat sushi when there’s Jewshi? Put away that mizrach and hang up the Miz-Rock. Host a Sukkot Luau featuring a Poi Vey Pineapple Mold, and celebrate Rosh Mexicana with a heaping helping of Hava Tequila Pie. Guaranteed to amuse, Judaikitsch encourages readers to don their Starlet of David Sunglasses, buckle their Borscht Belts, and enjoy a ride through a world where Elvis sports sidelocks and cats and dogs wear yarmulkes. At last, essential reading for the Divine Miss Martha in us all.

Judaikitsch: Tchotchkes, Schmattes & Nosherei

Traig, Victoria

New in Chronicle Books' winning series for tweens and teens, Crafty Girl: Slumber Parties answers the critical question: How to host a slumber party that isn't a snore? Here, complete plans for fourteen fabulous themed fetes offer dozens of dreamy ideas for midnight munchies, hilarious games, clever crafts, fun sleepover flicks, and more. Guests will enjoy getting supercrafty at the all-night-long Beadapalooza, the sparkliest party around. The relaxing Bliss-Out Spa Party encourages attendees to chill, with beauty treatments and tasty refreshments fit for a film star. And the creepy Night on Haunted Hill will scare the squeals out of every girl in sight. The ultimate guide to partying in one's PJs, Crafty Girl: Slumber Parties lets any hostess transform an ordinary sleepover into a spectacular slumberama.

Crafty Girl: Slumber Parties

What puts the bounce in a crafty girl's curls? Handmade headbands, beaded barrettes, and sweet-smelling shampoos, all from Crafty Girl: Hair, the latest in our top-selling series for tweens and teens. Uber-crafty girl Jennifer Traig goes big with this complete guide to dazzling tresses. Her handy Product Primer unlocks the mysteries of the beauty supply store, shares styling techniques that would make a hairdresser jealous, and offers up tips on how to keep locks shiny and full. The High-Style How-to's section includes simple instructions for 16 fabulous looks, from the feathery Farrah to the Frou Frou French Twist. The Hair Jewels chapter provides 15 project recipes for sparkly barrettes and other bijoux to embellish those new 'dos, and Hair Potions is filled with recipes for homemade shampoos, rinses, and even temporary hair color. More fun and a lot less money than a trip to a fancy salon, Crafty Girl: Hair is all a gal needs to create looks she'll love.

Crafty Girl: Hair: Things to Make and Do

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Books by Traig, Jennifer