Surviving a Nuclear Powered Family

Susan Perks, formerly a teacher and librarian, is a travel agent in
Thompson, Manitoba.

This is a book to raise your spirits and your kids by. McLean,
co-founder of the Mothers of Monsters Club, lives in Calgary with her
two sons, who, she says, are “totally brilliant and beautiful when
they’re not being obnoxious.” Alstine lives in Grand Valley,
Ontario, and claims to have everything she needs except enough sleep.
These statements, along with chapter titles like “Mothering Is the
Opposite of Efficiency,” “The Reproductive Habits of Toys,” and
“No Child of MINE Is Going to Be Like Me,” set the tone of the book:
humorous, but also informative. Entertaining cartoons are interspersed
throughout the book and numerous tips on parenting are provided.

In his review of McLean and Alstine’s first book, Mother Love Is
Solar Powered, Neil Harrison wrote, “It somehow manages to present the
joys of parenthood without obscuring the realities of life with young
children.” The same could be said for this book, which would make a
lovely gift for anyone with children. Highly recommended.