Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder »

Richard Louv is the author of seven books. He is the chairman of the Children & Nature Network, has served as adviser to the Ford Foundation's Leadership for a Changing World award program and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. He has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, NPR's Morning Edition, and many other programs. For more information about the impact of the book and the work being done, visit: www.cnaturenet.org.

Richard Louv was the first to identify a phenomenon we all knew existed but couldn't quite articulate: nature-deficit disorder. His book Last Child in the Woods created a national conversation about the disconnection between children and nature, and his message has galvanized an international movement. Now, three years after its initial publication, we have reached a tipping point, with Leave No Child Inside initiatives adopted in at least 30 regions within 21 states, and in Canada, Holland, Australia, and Great Britain.

This new edition reflects the enormous changes that have taken place since the book—and this grassroots movement— were launched. It includes:
• 101 Things you can do to create change in your community, school, and family.
• Discussion points to inspire people of all ages to talk about the importance of nature in their lives.
• A new afterword by the author about the growing Leave No Child Inside movement.
• New and updated research confirming that direct exposure to nature is essential for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.

This is a book that will change the way you think about your future and the future of your children.

Publishers Weekly

Today's kids are increasingly disconnected from the natural world, says child advocacy expert Louv (Childhood's Future; Fatherlove; etc.), even as research shows that thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can... be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit disorder and other maladies. Instead of passing summer months hiking, swimming and telling stories around the campfire, children these days are more likely to attend computer camps or weight-loss camps: as a result, Louv says, they've come to think of nature as more of an abstraction than a reality. Indeed, a 2002 British study reported that eight-year-olds could identify PokEmon characters far more easily than they could name otter, beetle, and oak tree. Gathering thoughts from parents, teachers, researchers, environmentalists and other concerned parties, Louv argues for a return to an awareness of and appreciation for the natural world. Not only can nature teach kids science and nurture their creativity, he says, nature needs its children: where else will its future stewards come from? Louv's book is a call to action, full of warnings but also full of ideas for change. Agent, James Levine. (May 20) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Acknowledgments     xi
Introduction     1
The New Relationship Between Children and Nature
Gifts of Nature     7
The Third Frontier     15
The Criminalization of Natural Play     27
Why the Young (and the Rest of Us) Need Nature
Climbing the Tree of Health     39
A Life of the Senses: Nature vs. the Know-It-All State of Mind     55
The "Eighth Intelligence"     71
The Genius of Childhood: How Nature Nurtures Creativity     86
Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment     99
The Best of Intentions: Why Johnnie and Jeannie Don't Play Outside Anymore
Time and Fear     115
The Bogeyman Syndrome Redux     123
Don't Know Much About Natural History: Education as a Barrier to Nature     133
Where Will Future Stewards of Nature Come From?     146
The Nature-Child Reunion
Bringing Nature Home     163
Scared Smart: Facing the Bogeyman     178
Telling Turtle Tales: Using Nature as a Moral Teacher     189
The Jungle Blackboard
Natural School Reform     203
Camp Revival     227
Wonder Land: Opening the Fourth Frontier
The Education of Judge Thatcher: Decriminalizing Natural Play     237
Cities Gone Wild     245
Where the Wild Things Will Be: A New Back-to-the-Land Movement     271
To Be Amazed
The Spiritual Necessity of Nature for the Young     291
Fire and Fermentation: Building a Movement     307
While It Lasts     315
Notes     317
Suggested Reading     329
Index     333
A Field Guide to Last Child in the Woods     345