Dear Peppers and Pollywogs : What Parents Want to Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties / 2007 Self / 132M / http://www.pepperspollywogs.com /
As individuals could guess, this book is a guide for parents. This book is set up to allow individuals to quickly come up with an answer to their party quandaries, whether it be the parent wondering what is age-appropriate or how much individuals should spend on birthday presents. The writing style is simplistic and has a number of ideas put forth in a list form, so that individuals can rapidly evaluate how each idea fits in their own unique situation. The second half of “Dear Peppers and Pollywogs†shifts the style to a more of question and answer section.
While this segment eschews generality for specificity, the tips used can easily be modified to fit into practically any parent or guardian’s party plans. The advice placed in “Dear Peppers and Pollywogs†does not read as if it was re-branded from 1950’s columns on the subject; where this may be the case in other child advise books, the information put forth by Kothari represents the reality of the current period. This means that there is a considerable section about the lack of opening presents by the child at the party itself and what to do about that; myself, as still a young individual, was not aware that individuals actually held off on opening presents in the slightest. I still open packages I get for the magazine seconds after I get them; I can’t fathom what kid would wait to open their gifts, but Kothari makes sure to cover that possibility in this book. The book would be the most benefit to new parents, as it contains tips for birthday parties until the child reaches the teenage years. While there is a little discussion about the 13-18 age bracket, much of what is discussed here focuses on the preteen set.
 This book does not leave out much about how to hold a birthday party for a child, and could conceivably be updated further with subsequent editions. The website for Peppers and Pollywogs is visible a number of places on the book, so parents could conceivably go and see what Kothari has to say about any one of the topics that is covered in the book. The ideas in the book are wholesome and family-friendly without being dorky or otherwise out of touch; Kothari knows how to make the stigma of the “loser†parent disappear with eir smart ideas and good advice throughout the entirety of “Dear Peppers and Pollywogsâ€.
Rating: 7.5/10