Bringing Up Bébé

Why I'd hand it to you

Pamela Druckerman, an American journalist raising kids in Paris, noticed that French children seemed to sleep through the night earlier, eat what adults eat and wait patiently, while their parents seemed calmer. She investigates why, from the French approach to food and routine to the idea of letting parents have lives of their own. It is funny and full of useful ideas. My caution: her view of France is mostly middle-class Paris, the evidence is largely anecdotal, and some readers find the comparisons to American parents a bit smug. Borrow what fits your family and leave the rest.

— Matt Jordan