The art of roughhousing: good old-fashioned horseplay and why every kid needs it

Giddyup, Dad! Hands-on play with your kids guarantees enormous fun (and probably some crying, but it's worth it). Say the authors, a physician and a psychologist, respectively, "What was once a motto of Safety First has evolved into a fretful new motto of Safety Only. Many parents are more frightened by skinned knees and bruised feelings than life's real dangers: stifled creativity and listless apathy." Amen! Making their case for creativity, physical fitness, and emotional intelligence, the authors present nearly 200 pages of humorous and fun activities, such as the Balboa ("Yo, Adrian!"), the Sleeping Bat, and the Greek Catapult. Replete with suggested age ranges, a difficulty level, and effective drawings for each activity, this book nicely caters to kids from zero to ten, who will treasure the time parents spend roughhousing with them. Enthusiastically recommended. - "Parenting Short Takes," Booksmack! 1/20/11 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.