Lawrence Cohen illuminates play…. He speaks to our questions and hesitations as parents, and offers a bounty of ideas and anecdotes that convey his generous spirit and deep understanding of both parents and children. He offers simple things to try, and shows what a difference play can make…. A lot of hope for parents springs from these pages.”

— PATRICIA WIPFLER
Director, Parents Leadership Institute

“Too many conscientious mothers and fathers think parenting is all about homework, car pools, and town soccer and are not experiencing much joy with their families. Larry Cohen… encourages parents to ‘lose their dignity' in order ‘to find their child,' and then he demonstrates exactly how that can be done…. You will find that you can be closer to your children and can enjoy them more. When I finished the book I immediately wanted to go wrestle with my kids—no tickling—and let them win!”

MICHAEL THOMPSON, PH.D.
Coauthor of Raising Cain

“According to Cohen, children of all ages have an ongoing need for connectedness, security, and attachment; playful interaction with parents is an important way to develop such bonds…. The book explores play with compassion, but is often so funny that parents will find themselves chortling out loud with recognition and anticipation.”

— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Your ideas are so creative and fun and just generally terrific…. It's one thing to read about how important it is to have a sense of fun as a parent, it's another thing entirely to have it modeled, and in a way that I can try out immediately. Instead of feeling like I am not being a good enough parent, it makes me think, Oh, I could do this!”

— ANNE STRAINCHAMPS

“I love your book. It is so gentle and kind—a great antidote to our stressed out lives and a prescription for making them less so. It is insightful, accessible, and educational without being pedantic.”

— PAUL HOLLINGS

“I thank you for helping me find new ways to communicate with my little girl—this was so much more fun than yelling at her!”

— DIANA PARTINGTON

“Your book has had an immediate effect on me and my playing with [my son]. I am discovering a whole new dimension to being a parent, which is making me thrive as a mother. And amazingly I can see the difference on my boy as well. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, this has been a truly ground-breaking book for me.”

— PIA LOFDAHL a730wC/Q32z8B8nLHxBjbggT2gqM4Ss9e74ZE1+qtDwdebOBuLHeudd5W9nT+Eyx