Our Favorite Books

Sometimes getting started in a new area of health or wellness can feel overwhelming without any road map.

That is where books can be life-changers, inspirations and overall guides to becoming healthier versions of ourselves as individuals, parents and business owners.

We put this post together to share our very favorite books - ones that have opened our minds, taught us valuable lessons and given us new space to learn and grow.

Health and Wellness

From basic health tips and recipes to info-packed topics and guidelines, the following books are the ones that have shaped our health beliefs - the books whose pages are bookmarked, dogeared, highlighted and starred. We are so thankful for the information they’ve imparted!

• The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox by Katie Wells
• Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
• The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates
• The Power of a Plant by Stephen Ritz
• It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried
• The Symphony of Reflexes by Bonnie Brandes
• Movements That Heal by Harald Blomberg, M.D.
• Smart Moves: Why Learning Isn’t All in Your Head by Carla Hannaford
• The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton
• Live Right For Your Blood Type by Dr. D’Adamo
• Tired or Toxic by Dr. Sherry Rogers
• Poison Spring by E.G. Vallianatos
• The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs by Nicolas Pineault
• Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford
• Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

Parenting Books

While we are all about following your parenting instincts and listening to your gut, there are undoubtedly times where weaning the advice and experience of others is necessary! These books have greatly shaped the way we teach, discipline, connect with, listen to and talk to our children. In fact, we’d argue that they have helped us tap into that inner voice, so we can parent our little ones the way we feel is best.

• Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne and Lisa Ross
• Disconnected Kids by Dr. Melillo
• No Bad Kids by Janet Lansbusy
• Heartfelt Discipline by Clay Clarkson
• The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears
• How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen by Joanna Faber & Julia King
• How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor by Dr. Mendelsohn
• The Happy Sleeper by Heather Turgeon & Julie Wright
• The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies
• A Compromised Generation by Beth Lambert
• The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori
• The Secret of Childhood by Maria Montessori

Pregnancy Books

These are some of our very favorite books that have contributed greatly to the health of our babies, our birth stories and our postpartum recovery.

• Ina Mae’s Guide to Natural Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
• The Brighton Baby by Dr. Dittman
• The First Forty Days by Heng Ou

Children’s Books

From helping a toddler foster connection to being read to by older kids, few things are more rewarding than experiencing a book with children! Great discussion, amazing way to strengthen bonds, widen their horizons, expand their imagination and improve their reading skills! The following have been wonderful to read to our toddlers to help their emotional intelligence. Giving them names for their feelings helps them deal with and express their emotions.

• In My Heart by Jo Witek
• All About Feelings by Felicity Brooks
• The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
• The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld

The following are great for fostering connection when read to young children:

• On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
• God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren
• Daddy Kisses by Anne Gutman & Georg Hallensleben
• The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin
• Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman

The following are some of our personal favorites, arranged by average age:

Age 2-4

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Eric Carle and Bill Martin Jr.
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Wonders of Nature (Little Golden Book) by Walter Linsenmaier
• The Tale of Jemima Puddle Duck by Beatrix Potter
• The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (Age 4+)
• Ralph’s Christmas Quest by SJ Murray

Age 5-7

• Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
• Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
• The Borrowers by Mary Norton
• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
• Charlotte’s Web by E.B White

Age 7-8

• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Grimms’ Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm

Age 9+

• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson
• The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

Cookbooks

• Raising Generation Nourished
• Wellness Mama Cookbook
• The First Forty Days
• Nourished Beginnings
• The Keto Instant Pot
• The Conscious Cleanse
• Whole 30
• Against All Grain
• Make It Paleo II
• Fish- Recipe from the Sea
• Cook Once, Eat All Week
• Clean Start
• Naturally Nourished
• Defined Dish
• Love & Lemons
• Well + Good

Read On!

We hope this list has provided you with empowering resources that will help you thrive at every stage of life -- mind, body, and soul!

For more of our favorite products (aside from Branch Basics, of course!), check out:

• Men's Fragrance-Free Product Recommendations
• Our Favorite Baby Friendly Cleaning Products | Branch Basics
• Our Favorite Natural Beauty Treatments