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 discovered that 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.

Reviews

“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” (The Sunday Times, UK)

“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" (Guardian, UK)

" Funny, self deprecating and instructive…" Financial Times

“Observant, dryly entertaining… In recounting how her three children went native, Druckerman is engagingly self-deprecating…

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