17 Top-Rated Parenting Books That Come Highly Recommended by Actual Parents

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish ($9, originally $17)

What a real reader had to say about it: "A powerful tool. Recommended by my pediatrician to help us communicate more effectively with our ADHD twin boys. But this is a great resource for all children and their parents."

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD ($10, originally $15)

What a real reader had to say about it: "So many books about parenting report all sorts of research and don't provide practical examples of how to do it. This book provides you with clear cut techniques that really do work and are helpful."

Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes ($16, originally $25)

What a real reader had to say about it: "This tells it like it is, with the science and research and sociology to back it up. I laughed, I underlined, I wrote in the margins. I only wish I'd had this when I was pregnant."

The Good Sleeper: The Essential Guide to Sleep For Your Baby — and You by Janet Krone Kennedy, PhD ($7, originally $19)

What a real reader had to say about it: "I would definitely recommend this guide to parents, especially new parents, to arm them for the battles ahead. Doesn't everyone need a good night's sleep after all?"

How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid For Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims ($10, originally $18))

What a real reader had to say about it: "Every parent should read this — rich parents, poor parents, controlling parents, free range parents — all of them. I feel like we have become a generation of parents who want this bubble of protection around our kids yet we want them to grow up to be responsible and successful adults."

The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook — What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD With Maia Szalavitz ($12, originally $18)

What a real reader had to say about it: "I highly recommend this book because it explains at length how the brain develops during childhood and how trauma and nurturing can affect development, and the author manages to deliver the message in simple terms and very clearly."

The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie ($11, originally $17)

What a real reader had to say about it: "This book will inspire parents to prioritize reading aloud and the author gives great tips on how to start — whether you're a new parent or just new to reading aloud."

No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD ($11, originally $17)

What a real reader had to say about it: "I can't speak highly enough about this book. It explores the link between a child's neurological development and the way a parent reacts to misbehavior."

Parenting With Love and Logic by Foster Cline, MD and Jim Fay ($16, originally $25)

What a real reader had to say about it: "If you want to actually get through to your kids and teach them the skills they will need to make appropriate decisions throughout their lives, this book will change yours. It was recommended to us by our pediatrician and [has] proven to be one of the best things she has ever said to us."

Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide For Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, EdD ($11, originally $18)

What a real reader had to say about it: "My child is definitely more intense and sensitive than many other children — but now I've learned to value and appreciate her in a new way. I also know how to be an advocate for her in preschool and future school settings. Seriously, I am a better mommy due to the facts and advice found in this book."

Unconditional Parenting: Moving From Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason by Alfie Kohn ($15)

What a real reader had to say about it: "What if everything that you take for granted about parenting (time-outs, stickers for toilet training, praise and accolades) might actually be hurting your relationship with your child, or even your child him/herself? Alfie Kohn says that these traditional punishment and reward systems are extremely damaging to children's development and psyches."

Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live, Too by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish ($11, originally $17)

What a real reader had to say about it: "I like the way this book made me re-evaluate how I react when my kids squabble, and I like the suggestions and examples of how to get the kids thinking toward positive solutions they come up with themselves."

Playful Parenting: An Exciting New Approach to Raising Children That Will Help You Nurture Close Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Confidence by Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD ($12, originally $17)

What a real reader had to say about it: "Each page is packed with intelligent thought-provoking ideas and sometimes very serious issues, all of which are embedded in such simple and funny anecdotes from his own practice that there is never a dry or 'heavy' moment. There are suggestions HOW to play, how to enjoy it as a parent and how to make the most of it for your child as well as your connection with your child."

The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Timeless Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children by Wendy Mogel PhD ($13, originally $17)

What a real reader had to say about it: "Her basic premise is that children need limits and structure, and a place in both the family and wider community. She breaks her parenting advice into nine lessons and most, if not all, would apply to parents of many faiths and even of no faith in particular."

The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children Effectively by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell ($9, originally $16)

What a real reader had to say about it: "Chapman and Campbell explain each of the five ways a child expresses and receives love. They explain how to identify your child's primary love language and provide numerous examples of how to speak it through various actions targeting specific age groups."

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne, MEd With Lisa M. Ross ($16)

What a real reader had to say about it: "Best parenting book I've read. And really more than a parenting book, this a book about how to live life well in modern times . . . To simplify (which is the theme of the book), we've become too busy, and that busyness is particularly bad for children."

The Explosive Child: A New Approach For Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Ross W. Greene, PhD ($11, originally $17)

What a real reader had to say about it: "The author demonstrates that your child's explosions are probably predictable. You have to sit down and find the patterns, the situations. You have to sit down with him or her and create a solution. Sounds simple enough, may sound impossible, depending on your child, but the transcripts are very illuminating."