I agree with the premise of this book—that all of us, children especially, aren’t getting a chance to develop a relationship with nature and not having a relationship is bad for humans. I wanted to like this book, but after reading the first third and putting it down for over a month without touching it, I finally finished by skimming the rest of the book.
The first third of this book is very bogged down with proving this point with the science, referencing study after study saying more or less the same thing (and what common sense already tells me.) It really was a slog to get through and made me lose my enthusiasm. I wanted it to give me practical tips on how to get my kid out into nature. I wanted to feel inspired and empowered. Instead I left thinking, gee, really sucks that I don’t live anywhere rurally and my child is too much of an apron-clinger to go out and explore what little wildness we have on her own (or go explore when we did live rurally.) I really believe in access to nature as an essential human need. I mostly feel sad that I can’t give my daughter the life I wish I could. But I suppose that’s the lament of every parent.