Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder is a 2005 book by author Richard Louv

Richard Louv

Richard Louv is an American nonfiction author and journalist. He is best known for his seventh book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder , which investigates the relationship of children and the natural world in current and historical contexts...

 that documents decreased exposure of children to nature

Nature

Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...

 in American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 society

Society

A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...

 and how this "nature-deficit disorder" harms children and society. The book

Book

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...

 examines research

Research

Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...

 and concludes that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood

Childhood

Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...

 development and for the physical and emotional health

Health

Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

 of children and adults. The author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

 also suggests solutions to the problems he describes. A revised and expanded edition was published in 2008.

Reception

The book was on the New York Times best seller list for best paper nonfiction. The author received the Audubon Medal “for sounding the alarm about the health and societal costs of children's isolation from the natural world—and for sparking a growing movement to remedy the problem”.

Versions

• English: The Last Child in the Woods,
  • Hardcover (April 15, 2005), ISBN 978-1565123915
  • Paperback Updated and Expanded (April 10, 2008), ISBN 978-1565126053
  • audio CD: Recorded Books; Unabridged edition (December 20, 2007), ISBN 978-1-4281-6967-8

Children & Nature Network

The success of Last Child in the Woods inspired the creation of Children & Nature Network co-founded and chaired by the book’s author, Richard Louv, to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature.

Green Hour

Green Hour

Green Hour

Green Hour is an educational program of the National Wildlife Federation, created in response to a growing disconnect between nature and children, a condition dubbed Nature deficit disorder by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods...

is an organization that provides information on how to reverse Nature-Deficit Disorder, and encourages parents to let their children explore and reconnect with the outdoors.

External links

• Official website for the book
• Today Show. July 16, 2008.
• Morning Edition, National Public Radio. May 25, 2005
• KQED. May 12, 2008