Episode · EconTalk · 2024-07-22
Books mentioned on Does Parenting Make You a Better Person? (with Erik Hoel)
Does parenting make you a better person? Can it improve your life?
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a universally beloved children's picture book that follows a ravenous insect's journey from a tiny egg to a beautiful butterfly, teaching young readers about counting, days of the week, and metamorphosis.
Discussed“I think The Very Hungry Caterpillar has been on the best seller list for 19 years”
Where to get it
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Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is a classic children's bedtime story featuring a young rabbit saying goodnight to various objects in the great green room.
Discussed“but probably the single best seller is good night Moon I do not like reading that book out loud to my kids although I've done it dozens and dozens of times”
Where to get it
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Curious George Discovers the Rainbow
This children's picture book follows the adventures of a famously curious little monkey as he learns about the colorful optical phenomena of rainbows.
Discussed“my wife was hate to hope it's okay to reveal this not a fan of reading Curious George which I love which I loved”
Where to get it
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The Mitten
The Mitten is a traditional folktale adapted into a popular children's picture book featuring ornate and highly detailed illustrations.
Recommended“some of my favorites are these more ornate um sort of filled with detail so so Jan Brett who did like the Mitten the Hat trouble with trolls she these sort of classic takes on these folktales”
Where to get it
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The Hat
The Hat is a charming children's picture book known for its detailed illustrations and engaging adaptation of classic folktale motifs.
Recommended“some of my favorites are these more ornate um sort of filled with detail so so Jan Brett who did like the Mitten the Hat trouble with trolls she these sort of classic takes on these folktales”
Where to get it
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Trouble with Trolls
Trouble with Trolls is a children's book featuring intricate illustrations and imaginative storytelling rooted in traditional folklore themes.
Recommended“some of my favorites are these more ornate um sort of filled with detail so so Jan Brett who did like the Mitten the Hat trouble with trolls she these sort of classic takes on these folktales”
Where to get it
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The Seven Silly Eaters
The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman is a delightful and humorous children's rhyming book about a quirky family and their demanding children with very particular culinary preferences.
Recommended“I'm just going to put in a vote for um slightly older age than the than say um good night moon but a slightly older age would would be the Seven Silly Eaters um and uh the gardener those are two books I love we'll put up links to it”
Where to get it
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A Book about the Garden and the Gardener
A Book about the Garden and the Gardener is a reflective work on horticulture and life, though the conversation specifically referenced a children's book about a gardener.
Recommended“I'm just going to put in a vote for um slightly older age than the than say um good night moon but a slightly older age would would be the Seven Silly Eaters um and uh the gardener those are two books I love we'll put up links to it”
Where to get it
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In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust is a monumental, multi-volume modernist novel that explores memory, time, art, and the profound meaning of human existence through an immersive blend of narrative and philosophical essay.
Discussed“I mean there's nothing sadder than that remembrance of things past only has seven volumes”
Where to get it
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Peter Pan
Peter Pan by J.
Discussed“there's two great moments in um there's probably more than two but two of my favorite moments in h literature if I can use that term very broadly the the very last Calvin and Hobs cartoon and the end of AA Winnie the Pooh series Christopher Robin series... and Peter Pan is an obvious another example”
Where to get it
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The Castle
The Castle by Franz Kafka is a surreal, unfinished novel that delves into the nightmarish nature of bureaucratic systems and the absurd inaccessibility of authority figures.
Recommended“but yeah I I recommend David mccaulay uh his books castle and others which show how things work in the background”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“yeah I'm sure he's really disappointed he can't read swans way at I'll share with him noward so that's more my style share with him what sgard like”