Review: Pearls: Parenting Practices by Lisa Guy, Illustrated by Cameron Shields

A beautifully constructed guide aimed at navigating parenthood, Pearls: Parenting Practices by Lisa Guy is a thoroughly unique combination of parenting memoir, self-help aphorisms, and actionable steps for raising children.

Layed out in part like a children’s book with exquisitely rendered illustrations by Cameron Shields, each chapter begins with a short stanza about the next stage of a child’s life before Guy expands on her personal experience, talking freely about the process of trial and error that helped her raise her five children. From sleep to breastfeeding, solving parental tensions to devising kids’ games, the book answers practical questions about parenting, while also highlighting the subtle emotional shifts that children will bring into their parents’ lives.

What makes Pearls so relatably down-to-earth is Guy’s vulnerability and generosity in sharing her personal story, projecting a sincere sense of calm amid the inevitable turmoil. For Guy, parenting is a process of evolution and growth just as it is for the child, with unavoidable mistakes and triumphs, and parents have to figure out how to help their children – and themselves – thrive day by day, step by step. Being aware that parenting is a quotidian task, and that it changes fast as a baby grows, is fundamental to improving as a parent, with the book encouraging parents to be grounded in the present moment and enjoy every stage of their child’s development, while also stressing that parents need to take time out for themselves, nurturing their own interests and passions.

Guy is especially dedicated to educating readers on the importance of a rich verbal environment for children – reading out loud to each other, singing songs, and learning poems, which can bolster a family’s connection with each other. This is where the book really shows its originality, as there aren’t many parenting guides that can also double as entertainment for children, where young children can enjoy listening to its recurrent lullabies and richly musical text, and get lost in the colorful illustrations that portray the flora and wildlife of the central coast. Thanks to the inspirational quotes, and the many enjoyable anecdotes told in a warm and humane style of prose, the book can really engage any member of the family.

For those looking for a straightforward manual, the book may be less effective, as it has no strict index or table of contents that addresses specific issues. Every aspect of parenting that is explored by Guy is tied to her experience, and although the author makes sure to include different perspectives from people around her, it is much more of a memoir than a manual. That said, there are so many parenting guides that cover the nuts and bolts of raising kids that this book doesn’t really intend to fill that gap, acting more as a relieving work of self-help through the lens of the author’s experience. Furthermore, by presenting her first-hand expertise, Guy stresses that there is no one solve-all formula, encouraging parents to find their own way of parenting, based on listening and adapting to their children’s rhythms and needs.

Colorful, soothing, intimate, and reassuring, Pearls is unique in the parenting field, offering parents and children a way to spend time together, learn about each other, and overcome life’s many small obstacles, while celebrating everyone’s successes together.