After residing in Denmark for a decade and observing the distinctiveness of Nordic children, Helen Russell delves into the secrets behind their happiness in her book, The Danish Secret to Happy Kids. From unique eating habits to unconventional learning methods, Russell explores the Nordic way of raising children, leading to content and well-adjusted individuals. The book not only showcases the cultural practices in Denmark and other Nordic countries but also sheds light on innovative strategies contributing to the long-term well-being of children. Through anecdotes of outdoor napping in cold weather, teenagers honing survival skills, and specialized boarding schools preparing youth for independence, Russell invites readers to reflect on the joy and resilience instilled in the younger generation. Furthermore, she highlights Denmark’s focus on holistic well-being and community interdependence, evident in the educational system and healthcare initiatives. Children's early school dismissal for free play, emphasis on teamwork and empathy, and initiatives like connecting new mothers for support showcase the country's commitment to collective welfare and emotional development. This enlightening narrative celebrates the cultural richness of Denmark while providing insights on fostering resilience and happiness in modern society. This was an interesting read! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Helen Russell has a way of saying things that I absolutely adore and enjoy. I like her humor, I like how she manages to have a journalistic approach on one hand, for giving the reader the information and not making it boring while on the other to entertain you. Yes, I could have found the basics of this info on my own, but she makes it so much fun.

I have read "The Year of Living Danishly", which I loved and at that time I would consumed anything that Danes do.

While reading this, I have decided that Danes have in their DNA, a tiny gene that gives them the ability to act as a therapist without going to university about it. There is no other way to explain the way they handle each stage of their children's upbringing. Also, I need to get a shoe horn as a souvenir after reading this book.

As with her previous book, I did take tips and things I should work upon my own family. There are things the Danes do that I find fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Also, at the end there is a whole list of things they celebrate. Pancake day? We don't have that one.

The whole book, is her experience of living in Denmark, and observing how things are done, as opposed to the UK. It might not be 100% how a native Dane would describe things, but to me who lives somewhere different (although we do have rum balls here as well) it was a pleasure read, and educational at the same time.

It is a book that I probably will go back to.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Opinions are entirely my own.

I like that this book is VERY realistic. It doesn't provide us with straight-to-the-point step by steps how to raise a happy kids "the danish way" (not that I'd hate it), but this book provides a whole story what makes the Danes how they are. From cultural beliefs, community support, to the inevitably financial securities provided by the government; those were taken into accounts and are discussed as the essential factors, the crucial reasons of why Danes are able to maintain their hygge tradition, display such exemplary parenting practice, and, yes, raise happy kids.

I really enjoyed the birds eye view of Danish parenting style. I think it is great food for thought as we continue to get caught up in our "Lawn Mower" parenting here is the USA. Maybe there is a better way! I especially appreciated the oneness the Danish culture has with nature and their environment.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating book. I really enjoyed reading about how children are raised in the Danish culture!

This title is misleading. It is not the book I imagined when looking at the cover. It is a recount of Helen Russell's experience of living in Denmark with children.
The way I describe this book is a cluster of facts thrown in with a recount of her own life.

Some good ideas. Not my cup of tea, but it will definitely appeal to a lot of people. I appreciate the sentiment and the guidelines.

I didn't realize before starting this book that it was by the author of A Year of Living Danishly (which I read a few years ago and absolutely loved)!
The author mixes self-deprecating humor and personal experiences with actual studies (with close to 10% of the ebook being footnotes) and interviews with individuals specializing in various subjects. It makes for a delightful read.
The concept of "raising vikings", or resilient adults, who are able to use their voices, explore the outdoors in all weather (including using a knife at 6 years old!), and be prepared to successfully learn and live without adult supervision is so needed in a culture of parents who try to make their children's lives easier.
I will definitely be looking forward to reading her future books, since her children are almost a decade older than mine, so she'll be traveling through the teen years first!

This book was extremely accessible. It was full of practical tips that I could implement immediately. I truly enjoyed this book!

I was heading back to read my copy of "there's no such thing as bad weather" when I stumbled across this book on Netgalley. I am SO glad that I did. This book is very different than "bad weather" even though both are on parenting the Nordic way. I've long been interested in the anti-individualistic lifestyle/politics/child rearing in Sweden and loved learning so much more about the Danish lifestyle. It seems to be "on trend" for Canadians (where I live) to cherry pick the cute things like hygge and spending 1000 hours out doors (guilty and learning) and refocusing them still to be..about protecting our kids from the rest of the world. The entirety of Danish culture is centered around community, trust, and dare, I say, being ok with taxes supporting those around them to create a happier, healthier culture for our kids. There are 16 pages of sources (backed up information!) That dives into the beauty of public education- when moms and dads are treated and supported as equal caregivers and so many other topics that really push back on ideas being pushed on parents in the west today. It was interesting to note how respect develops, between parents, teachers and children, the lack of body shame and fear in the population, and how women are a much more cohesive group when it comes to their rights. There is a huge push for tradlife here that fancies itself with some of these Danish ideas but misses the community and good for all aspects so much that this book shows are at the heart of Danes. Excellent read.

I don’t know if I’m the target audience for this book, but after absorbing, “my year of living Danishly” from this author, I sought the “sequel” out. I loved this one as much as the first. I don’t know what’s next from this author, but I subscribed to her newsletter and look forward to it!

I really enjoyed reading this book. I grew up cross-culturally from 4-16 so I’m sure my parents could constantly relate to the author as they raised 4 daughters in France. I was not as familiar with Danish culture but I found it absolutely fascinating. There were often times that I was laughing like the sledding scene. It felt like it dragged a bit towards the end.

I didn’t care for the last chapter after the epilogue. Overall though I recommend reading it. I got this book for free, I’m not too sure if I would personally buy it, but I have already told friends about it and they seem interested to read it.

Favorite Quote: We bring up kids to make their own choices. We don’t teach them to place all their trust in external authority - political, religious, or philosophical.

Synopsis: Denmark is a small country north of Germany in Europe known for its Viking heritage. Helen Russell, a writer and UK expat living in Denmark, has spent the last decade learning from the Vikings and sharing their culture with the world. The Danes get a lot of things right, including how to raise healthy, happy, independent kids. In her latest book, Russell brings this to light. Through the lens of raising Viking children, readers learn more about Danish culture, customs, and community.

Why does this book beguile? If you’re thinking, “Why are you reading a book on parenting?” That’s an easy answer. I’m not interested in the “parenting” aspects of this book - I’m here for the Danish culture. Since I first traveled to Iceland in 2013 and Finland in 2015, I’ve been kinda obsessed with all things Nordic. For countries that have small populations and harsh weather conditions, why do they keep ranking so highly on happiness charts and producing great people (athletes, authors, poets, philosophers). Helen Russell is one of the authors trying to answer those questions.

The Danish Secret to Happy Kids is probably a great book if you are a parent, but it’s a good book if you’re not a parent but want to figure out how to make your life better. Russell covers everything from unstructured time for play, screen time, work-life (or school-life) balance, and even holidays in this book. Readers will better understand Danish (and other Nordic) culture and can start finding ways to bring this culture into their lives.

This wasn't really a parenting book as there really wasn't much advice, I would classify it more as a memoir of an expat family raising kids not in their home country. That being said I still really enjoyed this book! Just not sure if it should be marketed as a parenting book.

As an expat living in Denmark I was very excited to read this! I loved it and it helped provide more insight into my son's experiences here in Denmark.

3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4. This book was a fun read. Instead of being advice driven, it was more like a big conversation about Danish traditions and norms. Read like a memoir. There was more explicit language than I would expect out of a parenting book. Not outrageous amounts, but more than I would like. My favorite part was the summaries at the end of the chapters! The narration was a little odd sometimes and I think some parts could have been cut (it felt a tad long to me). However, I did enjoy this book and had fun reading about different parenting styles. I would recommend if you want a fun read about Danish parenting, but know that it doesn’t take itself super seriously either. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Wow! If I could give everyone a copy of this book, I absolutely would. Written with humour (lots of fantastic humour!) and heart, it's a detailed look into the Danish way of parenting. Helen has provided a helpful window into a different way of being and raising kids, and I can't stop thinking about it!

I can honestly say I'm unsure of whether or not I actually liked this book. It's tagged as a parenting book, but is 10% Danish history/statistics and 90% memoir of an expat woman who is raising three British kids in Denmark. I'm all about a memoir, but not being labeled as such really set my expectations differently going into it. Other than a few sentences at the end of each chapter for that chapter's specific age range, there was no "advice" or "parenting tips" included in the book. I can see where the author was trying to keep it light despite the amount of unnecessary information was included, but it made the book as a whole feel almost disjointed with the parenting aspect as an afterthought. Had this book been labeled as a memoir sprinkled with some Danish parenting quips, this might have been a very different review.

A wonderful read it read like a memoir to me with parenting nuggets here and there.I find reading about the way different cultures raise their children.and the Danish style was fascinating.#netgalley #sourcebooks.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Sourcebooks for my copy of The Danish Secret to Happy Kids by Helen Russell in exchange for an honest review. It publishes to July 9, 2024.
This book was so interesting and fascinating to learn more about the Nordic countries and culture. There is a lot that doesn't compute with my American brain, but I really appreciate getting to see different ways that things are done outside of my small experience. There were quite a few takeaways from this book, and I am happy to report that since reading this book, I took my children out in cold, rainy weather to play, and made sure we wore the right clothing for it!