As baby boomers become grandparents, the number of grandparenting books is booming as well. Since our time is limited--so many balls to toss and cookies to bake--our reading material should be top notch. We need books to teach us, inspire us and make us laugh. Here are a dozen that won't let you down.

1. Wondrous Child: The Joys and Challenges of Grandparenting

If you were amazed by the new dimensions grandparenting created in your life, this is the book for you. The 30 essays contained in Wondrous Child depict a variety of grandparenting journeys, each described with eloquence and honesty. It's not a book about the nuts-and-bolts of being a grandparent, but a book about the heart and brains and guts of the experience and how it ends up being entirely magical, in spite of the difficulties that may be encountered.Buy from Amazon »

2. Some Assembly Required

Anne Lamott may be an acquired taste, but millions of readers have found her musings on motherhood and spirituality to their taste. Some Assembly Required chronicles the first year of Lamott's grandson Jax and her first year as a grandmother. It's a sequel of sorts to 1993's Operating Instructions, about the first year of her son Sam and her year as an overwhelmed and insecure but very loving mother. Parts of both books are laugh-out-loud funny. Other parts are merely poignant and oh-so-true.Buy from Amazon »

3. You Can Call Me Hoppa!

A great choice for anyone struggling with choosing a grandparent name, this book contains around three hundred grandparent names. Author Lauren Charpio would like for grandparents to know that they should not feel restricted to the traditional names, but instead should feel free to choose or develop unique names of their own. She even suggests that grandparents who aren't happy with their chosen names should change them in midstream, so to speak.More »

4. The Granny Diaries

Many grandparenting books treat grandparenting with either great seriousness or sappy sentimentality. The Granny Diaries does not. The anecdotes can be hilarious, but this little tome has substance as well. New grandmothers will find this book valuable, and all grandparents will find that it's a hoot.Buy from Amazon »

5. Teach Yourself Grandparenting

The Grandparents' Association, a UK group, is responsible for this volume, which is well-organized, readable and interesting. Each chapter begins with a preview and ends with a checklist that serves as a kind of summary. In between is a lot of good advice, as well as little snippets of real-life stories that support the points being made in the book.More »

6. Super Granny: Great Stuff to Do With Your Grandkids

Subtitled "Great Stuff to do With Your Grandkids," this is a collection of stories from real-life grandmothers about what they do with their grandchildren. These are not traditional grandmothers, although they do enjoy some traditional activities with their grandchildren. Reading Super Granny will give you valuable ideas for things you can do with your grandchildren, and you'll enjoy the meet-up with some fascinating grandmothers.Buy from Amazon »

7. Grandloving: Making Memories With Your Grandchildren

A mother, daughter and a daughter-in-law collaborated with several hundred grandparents to create this book. Grandloving should be read, then browsed and read again so that you don't miss any of the good advice or fun activities. Better yet, read with highlighter in hand, so that you can find your favorite parts again.Buy from Amazon »

8. Eye of My Heart

Is there anything better than being a grandmother? If so, maybe it is sharing the experience with the women writers who contributed to this book and who will soon feel like old friends. Eye of My Heart delineates the many joys of grandmothering without glossing over the stresses, and the luminous quality of the writing will make you want to read it over and over again.More »

9. Grandmothers

You won't want to take your eyes off the lovely photographs in this book long enough to read the stories. When you finally do, you'll be glad you did. You'll enjoy reading about the famous and not-so-famous and their grandparenting philosophies. You'll learn that there are lots of ways to be a grandmother. Some of them involve roping cows or discussing theology rather than baking cookies.More »

10. The Grandparents Handbook

The term eclectic doesn't even do justice to this book, which combines helpful advice with activities for grandparents to do with grandchildren, with some some first-person grandparenting accounts thrown in. The Grandparents Handbook is a semi-organized collection of grandparenting miscellanea that will delight those with a love for the random discovery.More »

11. Grandparenting a Child With Special Needs

As hard as all grandparents wish for health for their grandchildren, not everyone gets that wish. This book is a special gift for those who don't, for those who have a grandchild with special needs. Charlotte E. Thompson, M.D., offers advice about coping with the diagnosis and exploring medical and legal resources, as well as providing actual care for the child.More »

12. The Art of Grandparenting

All aspects of the grandparenting experience--the scariness, the occasional unpleasant experiences and the ecstasies--are detailed in this volume. Even better, most essays are followed by "Tips and Tricks" to help grandparents in similar situations. You'll be sure to find a lot to relate to in this collection.Buy from Amazon »