Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

The Book That Launched an International Movement Fans of The Anxious Generation will adore Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv's groundbreaking New York Times bestseller. "An absolute must-read for parents." --The Boston Globe "It rivals Rachel Carson's Silent Spring." --The Cincinnati Enquirer "I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are," reports a fourth grader. But it's not only computers, television, and video games that are keeping kids inside. It's also their parents' fears of traffic, strangers, Lyme disease, and West Nile virus; their schools' emphasis on more and more homework; their structured schedules; and their lack of access to natural areas. Local governments, neighborhood associations, and even organizations devoted to the outdoors are placing legal and regulatory constraints on many wild spaces, sometimes making natural play a crime. As children's connections to nature diminish and the social, psychological, and spiritual impli