Last Child in the Woods

Bookwatch, The, August, 2005

Last Child In The Woods

Richard Louv

Algonquin Books

708 Broadway, New York NY 10003

www.algonquin.com

1565123913 $24.95 1-800-722-7202

Our kids are the first to be raised without meaningful contact with nature: that's the message and warning of Last Child In The Woods: Saving Out Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. Kids are so 'plugged in' that they're becoming 'unplugged' from nature and the outdoors. So why is this of concern? Because columnist Louv links such deficit to the rise of childhood problems ranging from obesity to depression and ADD. Chapters describe the costs of alienating kids from nature--and also provide solutions which are as close as one's back yard.