French Children Don't Throw Food [Hardcover]

'Fascinating...gripping...extremely funny...A desperately needed corrective to received wisdom about child-rearing and what having children is supposed to do to a woman's sense of self. I loved it. It made me want to move to Paris.' --India Knight, Sunday Times

'Self-deprecating, witty, informative...But however much she admires "the easy, calm authority" French parents seem to posess, will Druckerman manage it herself? Her efforts to do so add a compelling narrative to this fascinating study of French parenting.' --Michele Hanson, Guardian

'I couldn't put it down! Smart, funny, provocative, and genuinely eye-opening.' --Amy Chua, author of 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother'

'In engaging story-telling prose, Druckerman describes a French scoiety of good little sleepers, gourmet eaters, and relaxed parents.'
--Mireille Guiliano, author of 'French Women Don't Get Fat'

'Pamela Druckerman is a charming narrator...she has produced an important guide to staying calm, and if half of what she says about anglophone parents is true, her book should be dispensed on prescription.'
--Spectator

What French Women Don't Get Fat did for dieting, French Children Don't Throw Food will do for parenting - a witty memoir that gives an insightful look at the secrets of parenting a la Francaise.

How do the French manage to raise well-behaved children and have a life!

What British parent hasn't noticed, on visiting France, how well-behaved French children are - compared to our own?

- How come French babies sleep through the night?

- Why do French children happily eat what is put in front of them?

- How can French mums chat to their friends while their children play quietly?

- Why are French mums more likely to be seen in skinny jeans than tracksuit bottoms?

Pamela Druckerman, who lives in Paris with three young children, has had years of observing her French friends and neighbours, and with wit and style, has written a memoir that is ideally placed to teach us the basics of parenting a la francaise.

How do the French manage to raise well-behaved children, and have a life?

What British parent hasn't noticed, on visiting France, how polite and civilized French children are, compared to our own? They don't cause havoc in restaurants, they always say 'bonjour' politely to adults, and they never throw tantrums in supermarkets.Why is it normal for French babies to sleep through the night by two or three months? And how do their mothers always manage to look so sexy, cool and chic?

New Yorker Pamela Druckerman never imagined she would end up in a Paris apartment with an English husband and a baby, followed in quick succession by twins. She discoveredthat in France mothers did things differently - and often better. So she set about investigating the secrets of parenting à la française. The result is this funny, helpful and informative book.

Pamela Druckerman is a freelance journalist on lifestyle issues married to English football writer Simon Kuper. They live in Paris and have a little daughter and toddler twin boys. Apart from using her own first-hand observation of her French friends and neighbours, for this new book, she has interviewed scores of French mothers, teachers and child experts. She is also the author of Lust in Translation: The Rules of Infidelity from Tokyo to Tennessee.