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Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide For Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers, And All Women Who Love Kids (2011)

by Melanie Notkin(Favorite Author)

2.99 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0061999970 (ISBN13: 9780061999970)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

William Morrow

review 1: This book was a very good read. I love how it gave you tips on how to be an Awesome "tante". Although I only skimmed through I found some topics to be helpful such as what gifts to get my neice as she grows, what books are suitable for her age range, as well as how not to cross the boundaries as a auntie . I would definitely give out this book as a gift for baby shower to the aunt to be, or a friend.
review 2: I hate this book.I had just gotten a library card and was excited to use it. I saw this book on the new book shelf, in the parenting section. I was attracted to the bright colors of the cover, and when I flipped through it, there seemed to be some good advice, like "read everywhere."I started hating this book almost as soon as I started reading it. In the... more introduction, the author brags of being "a savvy senior executive at a global cosmetic company, living a very cosmopolitan life..." Gag! On the facing page, she defines the first of a batch of stupid little made-up words. (I know all words are made-up, but these show that the author is trying too hard.) The word is "pank," and is defined as "professional aunt no kids." GAG! Reading that definition told me right away that this book is not for me. I'm an aunt, and I haven't birthed any babies, but I don't have a job, and even if I did, I sure wouldn't ever describe myself as "professional." I guess poor and working class women don't get an aunt handbook of their own. (Of course, poor and working class women may not need or want an aunt handbook and are perfectly happy to leave such things to spoiled rich women.)The made-up words are annoying and dumb. Each time one is introduced, the box it's in is labeled "auntiepedia." I think the author really meant "dictionary" or "lexicon," but couldn't think of any clever (HA!) way to work the word "aunt" into either of those. Other words in the "auntiepedia" include "debutaunt" ("a first-time auntie!"), "push present" ("a gift for Mom from Dad as thanks for enduring delivery..."), "happy spitter" ("a newborn who spits up a lot"), and "auntieversary" ("the day you become an aunt...").Topics covered range from the mundane (advice on turning "any tasteful tote into a diaper bag on the inside" by using containers and Baggies) to the actually useful (advice on getting picky eaters to eat.) The dumbest section is "Book Club Party." This how-to suggests entertaining by getting a bunch of savvy aunties together to discuss this very book. How clever of the author to try to increase book sales by suggesting that the reader buy a bunch of copies and give them to people so they can get together and have discussions. There are actually three and a half pages of discussion questions to get the talking going. If the reader wonders about appropriate refreshment for such a get-together, the author thoughtfully includes a recipe for "Savvy Auntinis."I have to admit, I did not read every word of this book. I just couldn't. I did skim all the pages, reading here and there, getting the gist of what the author was trying to convey. Really, I was looking for good stuff, information that would be of help to me, something to make me hate this book a little less. Instead, I found gems like the list of benefits of being an aunt and not a mom. (At the top of the list: "Savvy Aunties are thinner.")Ok, to be fair, there are three pages of recommendations of books for kids, as well as a resource list and an index. (I'm a sucker for an index.) But overall, this book is trite and annoying. Back to the library with it, I say! less

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