What are the most sought-after books by parents in Romania: fathers’ favorite author and mothers’ choices

​It takes a village to raise a child – that’s one thing we can all agree on. But, when you don’t have the village at your disposal or if you want to raise it, can it be said: It takes a whole bookshelf to raise a child?

Although nothing can replace expert guidance, advice from friends or family support, parenting books play an important role. They open minds and guide hands, inspire and give confidence, contain practical solutions and give complex answers to delicate questions.

Dads favorite author

“A few surprising things that I found in the last year, when I surveyed the interests and needs of parents in Romania, is that it’s not just mothers who buy and want books that help them relate better with their children. The percentage of fathers eager for information is increasing, and when it comes to teenagers it almost doubles”, says Alexandra Rusu, editorial director of ZYX Books, a new publishing house specializing in books for parents.

“It’s clear that dads are increasingly looking for effective and healthy family life solutions, and their favorite author at ZYX Books is Alfie Kohn. His brave ideas, such as education without punishments and rewards, seem to me very useful to debate in a society like ours, where children are still cornered or reprimanded aggressively”, adds Alexandra Rusu.

The titles brought by ZYX Books Publishing House are based on education done gently, but with limits and rules. The most popular author is Dr. Laura Markham, with two books already tested by tens of thousands of families, but also with Calm Parents, Happy Children. Workbook with you, translated for the first time into Romanian. “The novelty of this Workbook is the interactive part, the one that invites you to contribute your experience to Laura Markham’s theories, to adapt them in writing to your needs. Writing has therapeutic value in itself, so you can only gain from such an experience”, adds the editorial director.

“In the arms of the mother” and a bestseller about puberty

Among the special packages offered by the publisher is “In the arms of the mother” – which brings together, at a special price, two fundamental titles for raising babies in the first two years of life: The Breastfeeding Guide by Dr. Jack Newman and Easy Sleep by Sarah Ockwell-Smith. The need to know more about the connection between breastfeeding and babies’ sleep led to the creation of this themed pack, “In Mother’s Arms”, which has proven extremely popular with parents.

Alexandra Rusu, psychologist Diana Stănculeanu and Alex Zamfir, at the launch of the book Oops, puberty!

The ZYX Books bestseller, however, is a book about puberty, written by two American authors: a pediatrician and a counselor specializing in adolescent problems – Oops, puberty! What the world looks like for today’s teenagers and how we talk to them about difficult topics, by Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll-Bennet. “This extremely useful book for parents of (pre)teens touches on very sensitive topics – acne, growth spurts, eating disorders, sexuality, mood swings – and explains them in the light of the latest psychological studies and medical discoveries. Based on it, we organized several workshops in schools, meetings between parents and the psychologists we collaborate with, where the classrooms and hours allocated were insufficient. The interest is still very high, which probably explains the fact that the first print run almost sold out”, adds Maria Tănăsescu, coordinating editor of ZYX Books.

What is the vision that unites all the parenting books published at ZYX Books? All ZYX books are directed at the parent and support him/her in his/her constant effort to understand his/her emotions, behavior patterns and replace them with the most beneficial actions for his/her child. As always, unconditional love is most important.