Last Child in the Woods

Infobox Book
name = Last Child in the Woods
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Richard Louv
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
subject = Children and nature
genre =
publisher = Algonquin Books
release_date = April 22, 2008
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 390
isbn = ISBN 978-1565126053
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder" is a 2005 book by author Richard Louv that documents decreased exposure of children to nature in American society and how this "nature-deficit disorder" harms children and society. The book examines research and concludes that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. The author also suggests solutions to the problems he describes. A revised and expanded edition was published in 2008.

Reception

The 2008 edition of the book excerpts many positive reviews for the 2005 version, including from the Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. The book was on the New York Times best seller list for best paper nonfiction. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/books/bestseller/0629bestpapernonfiction.html?_r=1&oref=slogin The New York Times; Top 30 Paperback Nonfiction; nytimes.com/] ] The author received the Audubon Medal “for sounding the alarm about the health and societal costs of children's isolation from the natural world—and for sparking a growing movement to remedy the problem”. cite news | first = Brenda | last = Timm | title = Author Richard Louv honored with the 50th Audubon medal | url = http://web1.audubon.org/news/pressRelease.php?id=240 | date = January 24, 2008 | publisher = Audubon | accessdate = 2008-09-17]

Reviews of "Last Child in the Woods"
"Important and original. . . . As Louv so eloquently and urgently shows, our mothers were right when they told us, day after day, 'Go out and play.'"
[http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0524/p16s01-bogn.html - The Christian Science Monitor]

"This book is an absolute must-read for parents."
[http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2005/07/10/advice_for_the_overscheduled/ - The Boston Globe]

"One man who bears a large responsibility for breathing new life into back-to-nature efforts is Richard Louv . . . [His] book is helping drive a movement quickly flourishing across the nation."
[http://www.apha.org/publications/tnh/archives/2007/Oct07/Nation/KidsandNatureNation.htm - The Nation's Health]

"With this scholarly yet practical book, Louv offers solutions today for a healthier, greener tomorrow."
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/26/AR2005052601267.html - Washington Post Book World]

"The book is an inch-thick caution against raising the fully automated child."
[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/28/garden/28kids.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=last%20child%20in%20the%20woods&st=cse&oref=slogin - The New York Times]

"Engrossing . . .Thrilling to read."
[http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/reviews.nsf/book/story/A0D788F77F3D8CAC862570070069ECBF?OpenDocument - St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

"I found myself seeing the last chapter through suddenly blurry eyes and wondering, as I reached for the Kleenex, how I could sign on to Richard Louv's team."
[http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050522/news_lz1v22last.html - The San Diego Union-Tribune]

"Louv's case for outdoor play is a convincing one, and the possibility of a drug-free 'nature' cure for many modern ills is too tantalizing to ignore."
[http://www.audubonmagazine.org/books/editorchoice0507.html - Audubon magazine, Editors' Choice]

Versions

*English: "The Last Child in the Woods",
**Hardcover (April 15, 2005), ISBN 978-1565123915
**Paperback Updated and Expanded (April 10, 2008), ISBN 978-1565126053
**audio CD: Recorded Books; Unabridged edition (December 20, 2007), ISBN 978-1-4281-6967-8

Children & Nature Network

The success of "Last Child in the Woods" inspired the creation of [http://www.childrenandnature.org/ Children & Nature Network] co-founded and chaired by the book’s author, Richard Louv, to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature.

External links

* [http://richardlouv.com/last-child-woods Official website for the book]
* [http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-us&vid=9ce8e5af-969c-4602-9815-cf336d7dbc83&fg=rss&from=34&wa=wsignin1.0 Today Show] . July 16, 2008.
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4665933 Morning Edition, National Public Radio] . May 25, 2005
* [http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/view/909 KQED] . May 12, 2008