Last Child in the Woods

electronic resource

English language

Published Feb. 11, 2010 by Algonquin Books.

ISBN:
978-1-56512-586-5
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4 stars (2 reviews)

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder is a 2005 book by author Richard Louv that documents decreased exposure of children to nature in American society and how this "nature-deficit disorder" harms children and society. The book examines research and concludes that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. The author also suggests solutions to the problems he describes. A revised and expanded edition was published in 2008.

7 editions

Review of 'Last child in the woods' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

A fascinating and thought-provoking read, particularly strong on the biophilia hypothesis importance of nature to us as a species which, after all, evolved in a very different environment to the one which many of us inhabit.

Just a note that where I struggled as a European reader was the extremely US-focused nature of the book - many of the Disney films and wild-west style cultural narratives assumed to be a universal feature of childhood were completely unfamiliar to me, and as someone sadly too familiar with British failings in conservation holding us up as an example of best practice in several chapters seemed rather ironic.