Adolescent-Development Books

John Gottman produces the most insightful and inspiring books I have ever read. All his work is well worth the investment. Every parent should own a copy of this book and refer to it on a regular basis. There would be less violence, suicide, depression and school drop out if children where raised by parents who had more empathy and understanding of the important role that emotions play in early childhood. Buy this book and hold it close, it may change your life. Other books that you may find helpful are: Kids-Parents and Power Struggles, How To Talk So Kids Can Listen, Got the Baby Where's the Manual, Between Parent and Child,and Undconditional Parenting.


Kimberley Clayton Blaine, MA, MFT
Licensed Child Therapist
Author, Mommy Confidence
founder, www.TheGoToMom.TV

memoir written by a brilliant woman trained in child psychiatry, whose path was influenced by a need to heal the damages of her own childhood. That's How the Light Gets In: Memoir of a Psychiatrist by Susan Rako, M.D. owes its title to a song by Leonard Cohen: "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." Rako's book is remarkably candid, fascinating, and wonderfully well-written. It's a great read. The writing just flows.

Great book. A must read for every parent. One of the best parenting books out there.

This book was a purchase as a gift to my daughter who brought our first grandchild into the world not long ago. I know about John Gottman and his reputation as an excellent researcher on emotions and how they play out in body language and other ways people communicate with one another. I am also very familiar with the research on Emotional Intelligence developed by Perter Salovey at Yale and popularized by Daniel Goleman. This book integrates all of those sources of profoundly important social science into an amalgam that will surely help parents guide their children toward becoming well balanced and confident. This is not a bunch of pop psychology. It is impotant information from a man who knows whereof he speaks.

John Gottman is a professor of psychology at the University of Washington, a Rabbi, author of the excellent book, "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work," and also an entertaining speaker. My wife and I attended one of his talks on successful marriages. He's the Jerry Seinfeld of the clinical psychologist-Rabbi set.

Against that backdrop, it wasn't difficult for my wife to get me to read "Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child" after we had our second kid, although I wondered what misdeed on my part prompted the purchase.

As with Seven Principles, Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child is a tad heavy on discussions of research methodology, obviously intended to enhance the credibility of Gottman's conclusions. And some of Gottman's advice is a bit much for any but the most obsessive-compulsive. As an example, I don't think I'll be keeping an "emotion log" anytime soon in order to better understand my feelings "from moment to moment."

Such quirks aside, I recommend this book to every parent. It's short and easy to read, and most readers probably come away wishing their parents had read it. Gottman provides compelling insights and guidance for parents on how to help children identify, understand and work with all kinds of emotions ("emotion coaching"). Concepts are supported by examples of good and bad parental attitudes and/or parent-child interactions. These real-life examples colorfully reinforce Gottman's basic theories and demonstrate the advice in action.

Half way through the book, I found myself already trying to apply its principles in dealing with emotional outbreaks from our young children. They responded well. Gottman presents compelling evidence that parents can play an important role in the emotional well-being and happiness of their children and he argues persuasively that parents who succeed in doing so likely form stronger bonds with their children. That's a lot more value than one usually expects from a $13, 200-page paperback.

A great book for parents, children, brothers and sisters alike. Fantastic insight to society settling for mediocrity and allowing the "inmates" to run the asylum. Many of our parents used to say, "No, because you don't get everything you want, and that's just tough." But we find ourselves saying, "Maybe" or "Next time". If we REALLY want to see young people in our society excel saying "No" is a great place to start.

Generally insightful and helpful. The author provides a number of specific examples that are applicable to real-life situations - educators and parents would get a lot from this book, as it's an easy read and practical.

I purchased two copies of this book after seeing Dr Walsh on television. I sent one copy to our daughter, who was expecting our first grandchild, and kept the other for myself, as a refresher course. After reading it, I was so impressed, I decided to get copies for my nieces and nephews, and my adult children who aren't parents yet. Dr Walsh shares the same kind of pragmatic approach to child rearing that my own parents used, but he shows us how to teach "old fashioned" values in the modern world. Every parent should read this book, and grandparents should read it as well. Raising children has always been a tough job, but never before has a parent had so much competition from outside influences. Parents, grandparents and other adult family members need to work as a team, and provide reasonable, but consistent limits.

The first few chapters about the influence of media and advertising, and how they have shaped our culture and values over the last 40 years is very enlightening. They explain a lot about issues we see in the workplace with younger employees.

It is easy for us parents to get caught up in saying, "yes" and giving into our kids demands. It was just easier for me to give my kids what they wanted (when reasonable). At the very least it quieted them down, for a little while. However, what this book showed me very clearly is that we have an entire culture of "Yes", "Anything you want honey" and "My child couldn't do anything wrong". It also made it very clear that this attitude, or culture is hurting our kids and making our lives miserable. Dr. David Walsh delivers a strong dose of reality in one word, "No". Incredibly he does it in such a way that children and parents can enjoy more freedom and less anxiety. It becomes perfectly clear why we parents need to hold our children to rules and make them earn respect, and delay gratification.

When we give our kids everything (they think) they want it fosters attitudes of instant gratification; worse we set them up for failure and ourselves up for needless struggle and hardships. We or I also need to feel good about holding my children to higher standards and expectations, and Dr. Walsh does and excellent job of spelling that out in this book. There are many suggestions and checklists for each chapter.

This book has so many great lessons and insights; too many to list in the 5 minutes I have to write this review. All I can say is that I highly recommend the book "No' to any parent and then pass it along to some parent who doesn't need it. You will understand what I mean after you read it.

First off, don't let the generic "self-helpy" cover and title of this book turn you off. This is one of the better parenting books I've read this year. It's extremely well written and engaging with endless amounts of useful tips and food for thought. The author is not just a PhD, but also an experienced parent who has clearly spent ample professional and personal time working with kids of all ages.

I completely agree with his premise that:
1) parenting isn't easy and certainly isn't (and shouldn't) always be fun
2) the most successful parents are those who work hard to remain flexible, open, and calm
3) we owe it to our kids to set appropriate boundaries and enforce those boundaries consistently
4) rules are not "one size fits all" but should be tailored to fit not just the child's age but also the child's individual needs and personality
5) the judicious use of "no" with your child -- while it may produce some acting out in the short term -- will eventually pay off for your entire family (and, dare I say it, society) in the long term

Why four stars? As a parent who is very focused on my young child's nutrition, I was surprised this author recommended witholding meals from toddler/preschool age children who refuse to eat/finish lunch or dinner. While I think this is a valid technique to use with older kids, the fact is toddlers a) are natural grazers and not likely to eat everything put in front of them for the "big" meals of the day and more importantly b) have smaller stomachs, higher levels of energy, and are prone to low blood sugar and therefore should eat at least every two to four hours a day. I totally get how important it is to teach your children that their choices can either lead to a positive or negative outcome. But I personally don't feel witholding food is the way to go at this age. Should you withold desserts and treats? Totally! But don't send a toddler to bed hungry -- look for alternative food sources (fruit, carrots, crackers) to ensure they aren't sleeping on an empty stomach.

Aside from the one negative, and regardless of what your personal parenting style is (laid back, strict, etc), I recommend you do yourself and your kid(s) a favor and get your hands on this book. Chances are it will either confirm that you've been doing the right thing all along (and provide some additional tools) or give you the wake-up call you need to get your family back on track.

I have lived, my entire life, with Gender Dysphoria. From age six, I was certain that "god" messed up. More info, in my guides and lists, on personal experiences. However I have always studied Psychology, medical texts, and such, to get a grasp of the situation. Luckily, women in my life were understanding. I was able to experiment. Yet, over the last several years, I've had no outlet. Therefore this book has been important, to me. Technically, Gender Dysphoria is a medical condition, not a Psychological condition, but the way society treats "Freaks" definitely leads to Psych struggles.

To understand *why* I so highly recommend True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism--For Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals, read....

Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us, by the author of My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely and Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws.

See my friends list, or click the links. I reviewed Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us a while back. The Workbook is on my wish list.

"Hello, Cruel World" has been a tremendous help! I study Psychology, as a Minor, and I would recommend this to many people (teens and Adults), of all walks of life and Persuasions!

If you know *anyone* suffering from Depression, or simply bummed out, about living in Redneck "America" (or other backward places)...whatever their issues are, please get Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws to them!

I have spent most of my adult life, being capable of diagnosing issues, helping other people with their issues, etc. However, after repressing my own issues, for several years.... I can verify that this book is well worth owning, and purchasing as a gift. Normally, I rarely give up a book, but I would give this to anyone who needs it. I am sure that Kate would not mind, if I buy another one, later. :-)

First, however, I am making notes of the resources, book and movie titles, and websites that Kate Bornstein provides in "Hello, Cruel World."

I haven't felt suicidal for a long time, but this book is also effective to combat a general malaise, irritability, anger or pessimisim.

The 101 alternatives are only the second half of the book. The first half is Kate's personal history, advice and observations. Some more traditional alternatives are also discussed in this first part ("Call a Suicide Hotline").

I believe that one of the most helpful parts of the book is its humor, woven affectionately into the advice, observations and personal experiences. This light-heartedness, never too much to seem disrespectful, helps to give perspective to life's problems.

I think there are better ways to help kids than to say that anything they do is okay. I was alarmed by the advice in this book.

All high school libraries should have this book, which could save a life. Troubled teens will understand where the root of their problems lies.

This book could save your life. I wish it had been around when I was a suicidal seventh-grader. One of the readers at Amazon.com says, "Every high school library should carry this book!" and that's probably the best possible endorsement. This is a wonderful book.

Hello, Cruel World is the best depiction I have seen of the real world of troubled teens. It accurately locates the bully as the most common cause of self-esteem issues that can take years, even decades, to resolve. Kate's only rule for readers is "don't be mean," and that is certainly the most obvious characteristic of every bully I've ever faced. Kate's winning personality and irresistible sense of humor prevail over the heavy topic matter. Her writing is inspired, passionate, and empathic. There is little if anything that goes uncovered here. (Well, okay, she includes "sex worker" but omits "drug dealer" and "rock and roller" from her list of freak-admissible careers in alternative 34, "Sing for your Supper." I mean, if you're going to include the Unholy Trinity, you might as well go all the way, right?)

Actually, my only real quibble with this book (and it is a quibble) is that I thought this book might be even "safer" if the cover were more discreet. I admit that it's a bit busy for my taste, but perhaps a plain cover would have been even better for the sake of the kids who might have to sneak around with this book.

This book is the most exciting book which I've ever read..It is clearly providing explanations and guiding you very exciting strategies which may perfectly work with someone who has special difficulties in education,general functioning..
I highly recommend this book without any hesitation.
Penny

This is an excellent resource for any parent or teacher who wants to better understand learning challenges. It's organized in such a way that you can easily find things after you've read it. Whether you want to teach to all types or learn how to advocate best for a child, this book is a must read, a must have.

The Eides take a new and refreshing approach to many of the concerns and challenges that impact our children's ability to learn. Informative and well-documented, this book is appropriate for anyone involved with children, including parents, teachers, therapists, and physicians. It is packed with important information backed by the latest research. Yet it is presented in a very readable fashion. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out more about the many and varied ways that children learn, including those with ADD, autism, sensory processing dysfunction, dyslexia, and those who are gifted.

The Mislabeled Child is a revolutionary book that looks beneath the labels children receive, and addresses the real underlying issues. Essential reading for parents, teachers, and health care professionals alike, this highly readable text provides specific, practical approaches to recognizing and capitalizing on children's strengths in order to help them flourish. From sensory processing difficulties to dyslexia, from language problems to poor handwriting skills, the Eides provide useful insights and marvelous advice.

Parents, teachers, and anyone working with children will benefit from the positive approach of helping all children to learn their strengths and use them effectively. The text has ideas to share that may change the life of a child and those who support the child.

I'm recommending this book to all my clients. It provides a 'scientific' confirmation of parents' inner wisdom, and many people need that.
Trusting and knowing how to access our own best instincts (and sometimes that instinct is to seek help from a professional or other outside source) are solid and effecive parenting tools. I'm glad to have more confirmation that learning to express love and affection in all its many forms to our offspring is the essence of good parenting.
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I've found this book a great insight to many areas of human brain development and all its "issues".
This book should be read in conjunction with many other books which also look at psychology. I do not feel this book will answer questions standing on its own as you will get a one sided view - as in the author talks about her situations within her life. But in saying that MANY people will relate to what she is talking about and many people will find her scientific information very interesting.
I enjoyed this book and found that I was able to explain to many others who "poo poo" our parenting methods the reasons why...but you will always need more information so don't stop at just this wonderful book.

Everyone has seen a mother kiss her infant. Who would have thought such a simple gesture would be needed--very much needed.

Gerhardt explores all the recent scientific research on infant brain growth, and has come up with a book that's desperately needed.

Mothers who are angry, depressed, or cold, can alter the actual structure and growth of their child's expanding brain. "Early experience has a great impact on the baby's physiological systems, because they are so unformed and delicate...Even the growth of the brain itself...may not progress adequately if the baby doesn't have the right conditions to develop" (p 19).

There are some scary facts here. Mothers who do not adequately love and interact with their children create babies with a smaller than usual prefrontal cortex, babies likely to grow up to suffer from depression and social problems.

Another consequence of poor mothering can be narcissistic personality disorder (p 157).

One third of our children today are born illegitimate. How many of those poor mothers can cope, work jobs, and provide a truly loving and interactive home for their children?

An excellent source of information for everyone. Would be extremely helpful for mothers-to-be. Helps you understanding your developmental psychology. Gives you more information on you and why you turned out the way you did. Should be required reading for high school students who will be parents of the future. It would give them a better overview on how to interact with their children in a more positive way.

This book really opened my eyes to the fundamentals of brain development in infancy. I had no idea how much the actual physiology of the brain is affected by infant experience, not just the psychological. Sources are well cited, ideas are well backed up in scientific research, and the information is presented in a way which benefits lay readers as well as researchers (with an introduction about brain structure and development).

I suggest every parent-to-be get a hold of this book. One reviewer was dissapointed by the lack of specific exercises to play with. However, I don't think they are necessary because this book gives specifics about why certain strategies affect infants. I think understanding why certain types of parenting work better than others makes parents more likely to come up with the kind of adaptive spontaneous strategies which come out of such a way of thinking. You could also check out Brazelton for more specific info about exercises to do with your baby.

As a side note, once you read this book and make decisions about parenting based on the exhaustive research cited within, you will not only feel more confident about your parenting, but you will be able to defend against attacks from helpful but persistent grandparents, in-laws, and friends - should you want to engage in such discussions.

This book has tons of activities for babies broken down by skill enhanced and then developmental stage. I think it would have been better organized and easier to use if it had been broken down in reverse, developmental stage and then skill. A lot of the activities are things that come naturally and you don't need to be told to do them, but there were still a lot of things to help you keep baby busy, and to help you to remember to work on certain skills you might not think of. It also helped you to really think about and understand the different activities and why they help certain skills, which sort of helps you gain perspective on how everything around you can be turned into an activity you can use to your and your baby's advantage. Worth the investment!

As a first time mom,of a child with special needs to boot, I had no idea. This book and the others in the series are great resources for finding things to do with your child other than watching Teletubbies for the thousandth time. If your child needs extra help in a certain area, like fine motor or listening skills, you can easily find a variety of exercises to help here. The later books in the series (Threes, Fours, and Fives) would also be a great resource for a homeschooling parent.

I am on a one year leave from teaching second grade to stay home with my 5 month old. The teacher in me purchased this product because I wanted to make sure my baby was not missing out on any learning. I wish I would have discovered it sooner as the guide is set up for babies not able to sit up, babies able to sit up, and babies able to crawl. It gives activities to do at each of these stages. It is easy to use and activities are divided into categories: listening and talking, physical development, creative and learning from the work around them. We were already doing some of the activities included, but the book offers many ideas I would not have thought of. Overall, I feel it is a great resource to have.

It's almost overwhelming. There is no way you can spend this much time teaching everything, but it's nice to be able to pick and choose fun things to do with your baby. It's easy to use in a well thought out layout from birth on, divided by sensory perception.

Not just for daycare! I am a first-time, stay-at-home mom and needed a way to tell if I was "doing all the right stuff" in regards to play, development, speech, music, etc. This book gives you exercises that are so easy for each stage of the first year of life. There is not a lot to read like a typical baby care book, but each section outlines what the child should be accomplishing and gives you exercises to ensure that your child reaches those development milestones. If you can look past the idea that it is written for daycare providers, you will find this book extremely helpful. I knew I was giving my child all he needed because I had these exercises to use as a handy guide. Good luck to you!

This book details all aspects of the child with down syndrome. I think this is a must have book for parents, and an equally important book for the professional working with a child diagnosed with down syndrome.

I would recommend buying this book since it includes many practical strategies with working with children with low cognitive functioning. We, as teachers, need practical ideas based by "best practice" research that we can implement immediately after reading a book. This is a book by a seasoned special education teacher and I recommend it highly.

This book offers so much help for parents, grandparents, teachers, anyone working with children who have down Syndrome. It gives so much help, ideas, insights... well, the list just goes on.

This is a great book for anyone working with or parenting children with down syndrome (and fascinating for anyone with children). It covers development based on stages rather than ages, so the focus can be on the child and not on a outwardly determined norm for development.

The substantially revised and updated second edition of Fine Motor Skills For Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide For Parents And Professionals by pediatric occupational therapist Maryanne Bruni offers a thoroughly "user friendly" study detailing particular tactics and effective strategies for training the motor skills of children with Down Syndrome. Introducing readers to invaluable tips on determining when a child is ready for preprinting and printing activities, strategies for encouraging self-help skills for independent living, research on how children with Down Syndrome learn, expanded suggestions for useful toys, activities, equipment, and grandparent lists, useful information for computer use, and more, Fine Motor Skills For Children With Down Syndrome enables a thorough grasp of greatly helpful and very practical information for a more educated approach to aiding children with Down syndrome. For its concise and essential comprehension of dire information, Fine Motor Skills For Children With Down Syndrome is very strongly recommended for all teachers, parents, guardians, grandparents, caregivers and counselors for children with Down Syndrome.

As an educator with 12+ years in middle and high school, I would say this book points out a major problem with today's education. While the author dwells on puppets as the medium for expressing her ideas, the reader can still garner the issue and what needs to be done to resolve it.
Students are not truly learning. Instruction produces a superficial knowledge and no ability to reason. This is due to a great extent by students entering the system with out having developed the ability to think independently and to reason. Most teachers are not equipped to handle this and end up perpetuating and, to some extent, exacerbating the problem. Parents must become more aware that today's toys, especially the highly touted electronics based toys, do not enable independent thinking and reasoning. They leave the student with the idea that they can learn with no mental effort.
I recommend all parents and teachers read this book.

In her warm-hearted and compelling style, Susan Linn makes a strong case for creative play. The Case for Make-Believe is easy to read and offers many practical suggestions that will help you provide a positive, fun space for your child.

The book makes the case that creative play is crucial because it helps children sharpen their minds and develop their imaginations, learn social skills and the ability to focus, and discover the joys of physical activity (remember the hours of playing with Legos, or a cardboard box, or hide and seek?). Our kids are at risk of losing this ability. This book helps us as parents remember the kind of play that is almost forgotten in today's video-game-driven culture. I highly recommend this book! It inspired my wife and me and has helped make a difference in our daughters' lives.

I haven't been one for parenting books in a very long time. However, I interviewed Susan Linn a few years ago for an article on the dangers of consumerism and marketing to children and her commitment to the cause was and continues to be admirable. When she emailed me telling me about her new book, The Case For Make Believe, I jumped at the chance to review it. What she has to say is important to me on many levels but first and foremost as a parent. Unfortunately, this book is most likely to go unnoticed by those who need to read it the most. There is an epidemic of apathy in this country and let's face it, some of our fellow parents can't afford the luxury of critical thought. They are doing their best to survive in a volatile economic climate. Who has time to play much less read about the importance of play when you are constantly worried about how you're going to keep your children fed, clothed and sheltered? That's where Susan's brilliant ideas on social change come into, pardon the pun, play. There has got to be a way that we can provide at-risk children the stability and security to flourish creatively.

As for the rest of us? We'd do good to educate ourselves on the importance of play in our children's lives. I think we grossly underestimate it and I think it's high time we take the blinders off. Our children are being systematically deprived of a wholesome, creative, unbranded childhood. I'm as guilty as the next gal, I assure you. My kids watch TV. They wear the character t-shirts. Own the toys, DVD's and CD's. They play the video games (so do I, helloooo Wii!). Trust me when I say that a lot of the information in this book was a bit of an affront to me. However, I'm glad I quickly got over myself and persevered because as I moved through the valuable research, case studies and information, I happily discerned ways in which my children have not entirely fallen prey to The Man and just as unhappily discerned ways in which they have. It all comes down to balance, right? Or what D.W. Winnicott called "good enough" parenting. Just as the author, I immediately fell in love with this brilliant man. As many of my long time readers know, I've been singing the praises of "good enough" for years.

So yeah, my kids watch TV, listen to music, spend hours on the computer and play with branded and character toys. They also spend hours immersed in imaginative play with various toys whose identities are not attached to a character, TV show or movie. These toys become, like them, just people. Parents, teachers, doctors, Mommies, Daddies and children. Through them they express themselves and in doing so, their view of the world around them. My kids also spend countless hours outside swimming, digging in the garden, swinging under trees, collecting rocks and leaves. We play together, dine together, bake together, read together, create art together, take pictures together and TALK. (We talk a lot.) Balance? Perhaps. It seems more like a luxury nowadays and it's one I'm glad we can afford our children. We owe them at least that much. After reading this book, I think I'd like to tip the scales a bit more into unstructured play's favor. I, personally, would like my "good enough" to be that much better. As parents and citizens of this crazy, sometimes upside down world, I think we'd all be good to do it.

As a parent, it can become so exhausting to read book after book about what is destroying our kids' lives, especially when so many of the issues seem intractable. I've finished book after book only to feel disheartened and determined to raise my children on a deserted island or hide them in a box under the bed forever!

This book is different. It is distrurbing, as Linn connects dots we might rather leave unconnected about the impact of commercialized play on our children, but in the end Linn reminds us how easy it is to bring the good back in to the lives of our children. What's more, the answers are free, easy, and fun. There is no list of must-have products or specific program to be followed -- instead, she reminds us how special play is and how the very best play comes from the most simple tools. Old cardboard boxes, battery free toys, wonderful outdoor spaces, peace and quiet. In fact, the book doesn't ask us to do more, it asks us to do less. How refreshing.

The book includes inspiring and compelling stories of children the authored worked with as a play therapist, using puppets to let the children create their own realities and to express feelings often hard to express in "real life."

I am a little afraid of make believe myself (what do I say? what should I do?), but felt inspired enough to pick up an old puppet and use it. My five year old needed almost no prodding - I didn't need to know what to do, because she knew what to do. And in no time, it came back to me too -- how to play. Now I can't seem to get enough -- we play hospital, restaurant, animal games. Whatever emerges. It's made me feel more connected to my daughter (this feels different from playing "go fish") and given me a sense of pride to know that I'm doing well by her as I work to carve out space for her imagination.

In "The Case for Make Believe," Susan Linn does just as she promises: makes a case for childhood play by helping us to understand why it so important for childhood development and making us realize how far away from play we've gone:

"Lovable media characters, cutting-edge technology, brightly colored packaging, and well-funded, psychologically savvy marketing strategies combine in coordinated campaigns to capture the hearts, minds and imaginations of children - teaching them to value that which can be bought over their own make believe creations."

As a parent, I know she is right - most of us don't have degrees in child development nor do we spend hours poring over literature and research that helps us understand what really is best for our kids. Unfortunately, much of the information we get comes from companies that have developed products to "help parents."

So, for example, in our confusion over screen time for babies, most of us think that a half-hour here or there, while we're cooking dinner or taking a shower, won't hurt anything. Certainly that's what baby-video marketers will tell us. But what about a child's developmental step of learning to self-sooth? Linn states that babies can't master self-soothing if there is always some distraction there to pacify them.

One of the problems with childhood play today, argues Linn, is that it is scripted: children learn the scripts given to them through cartoons, videos, games, and characters and are unable to imagine stories outside those scenarios. For some children, this may take the form of repetitive, meaningless violence and fighting; for others, it may be playing princess but only using Disney-provided princess names and scenarios.

Linn is a ventriloquist, among other things (she appeared on Mr. Roger's Neighborhood). "The Case for Make Believe" features her work as a play therapist. In detailed stories, she illustrates how she uses puppets to talk to hospitalized children. As the children reveal their problems through play, she is able to guide them to work through these problems while still playing. Linn uses these stories to help us understand the "intricacy and depth of children's psychological relationship to the play they create and as an argument for ensuring that we provide children with opportunities for make believe."

The book concludes with lots of suggestions for parents and other caregivers to help them incorporate creative play into every day.

"The Case for Make Believe" (as well as Linn's 2004 book, "Consuming Kids") is a well-written, well-documented, accessible, and convincing argument for changing the way we raise our children -- from what commercial culture expects us to do to what is truly best. It is a must-read for parents and caregivers who feel like we are too caught up in commericalized play and want to do something about it.

I got this book for a reasonable price at a quick shipping services it took about a week to arrive and shipping was free WOW I'M LUVN IT!!!!!!!!!!

I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the development of children. This book covers a wide spectrum of theories and real life examples from conception till late adolescence. What is more, it is very easy to read and every single chapter is incredibly knowledgeable and attention-grabbing to go through. It was one of the best psychology books I've read so far!!!

Overall it's a well written, illustrated and researched book that keeps with the most contemporary of scientific and specialist knowledge within this area and sustains throughout right from the chapters on conception and prenatal development through to the formative years outside the womb that the roles of environment, culture and the human organism itself, all in their different contexts, work together and in sync to create the overall eventual development of the human being. One such example in the book where these forces come into play focused around the fact that exclusively looking for genetic causes for intelligence and other psychological and physical attributes is flawed. Geneticists have found that many genetically related diseases and other diversities arise from genetic anomalies and mutations that are not inherited e.g. Down syndrome. This goes some way to questioning the validity of Eugenics programs that in part aim to `breed out' genetic code or traits from the human gene pool that is seen to be unhealthy.

Other information that was of interest;
1. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and some of the research done in this area and ways to help prevent it, there is a program called the "Back to Sleep Campaign" run in the USA by NICHD, The Back to Sleep campaign is suitably named for its recommendation to place healthy babies on their backs to sleep. Placing babies on their backs to sleep reduces the risk of SIDS.

2. The Utilization of what they call `Kangaroo Care' as a means to help premature babies thrive.

3. One thing I found intriguing was the suggestion that infants who are allowed to simply actively engage and explore their environment progress better psychologically, cognitively and socially.

4. The beginnings of a sex role identity start to occur around 3 years of age when children's strong attachments to their mothers weaken. During this period of early development, "wanting to be near" (their parent) that is the dominant force in infancy is taken over by "wanting to be like".

5. The in depth discussions to do with schooling and the different modes and forms that this takes on in modern times and also the types of influence that formal education exerts on both the social lives of children and also their academic faculties.

6. The beginning of the reasoning of moral issues and Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of the six stages of moral development.

My only complaint is this; given that I am colour blind it was quite a job to often try and distinguish one line from the next on the graphs and tables throughout, so that would be my only criticism but its relatively negligible. Obviously the views of both psychology and early childhood development do overlap so I would recommend that anyone interested in this area of study read Psychology 7th Edition (Myers) first, you don't have to by any means but it does make some of the concepts and text in this particular book seem easier to understand which makes the flow of reading the content much smoother, though having said that, the authors who as it turns out also have children of their own, have done an excellent job of explaining theories and ideas first then following up by giving a working and easy to understand example in laymen's terms of where those theories and ideas have been put to work, both under scientific conditions or in the real world. Furthermore the authors have somewhat followed the basic format of briefly talking about what they are going to discuss at the start of any particular section of the book, then discussing it and finally at the end of each chapter they review and summarize the content which helps to round out the discussion.

The reference sections at the back of the book containing the definitions of the different terms used throughout the text were a nice and helpful addition to the hardback. This was my second book purchase from the `Worth' Publishing press and the style of their books, in particular the pedagogical features seem to be uniform throughout their range, also in addition to this is the accompanying website that is full of didactic features and a great way to learn interactively about this subject. Overall this book is a fascinating insight into the development of children and certainly worth reading if you're planning on starting or already have a young family as the knowledge will help give you an idea of what to expect as a parent, but it would be equally suitable to others that may be simply interested in academia or just have an interest in this general area and want to add to your knowledge about the human condition.

As a final word I'll say that although the book was mainly meant for academic study which usually makes these class of texts somewhat cold, prosaic and uninspiring, all of which I might add this books suffers none of, you can't help but come to the conclusion that the underlying message in my view is that the more children are nurtured, shaped and prepared both psychologically and socially in a positive and interesting way, then the chances of a superior eventual outcome for the child in question and society at large are improved enormously. To the casual reader of this review that previous sentence may seem blatantly obvious, but to arrive at a greater and much deeper understanding of the what, when's, where's, why's, and who's of childhood development and advancement, then one would be wise to invest some time and money into this book because it is surely worth it. Conversely, this is not a `how to' manual, rather it may be best viewed as an intense analytical overview of the different theories, conclusions, studies and the people who have influenced this area of scientific enquiry over the last 100 years or so.

Edward Gibbon wrote the "Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire" and Mike Cole and his colleagues have written a work of equal stature on the making of human beings. This is an encyclopedia of human development from single cell to adolesence. Though a leader of the cultural psychology school of development, this work includes every theory and subtheory of development around, each bringing its particular insights at the appropriate point in the story - part eclectically, part critically, but always comprehensively. Frequent break-outs take up issues of controversy, the photographs and illustrations are magnificent. Each chapter is constructed with study questions, summaries etc, making it suitable for systematic study, written by a consummate educator. This book will do you for life; use it from your first lecture in your "Early Childhood studies" course, or for that matter, libguistics, anthropology, neuroscience, till your first research project, keep it while your kids grow up, use it when composing your journalistic articles about social issues, and re-read it for sheer enlightenment. I can't say that this book is the last word on the topic, because I know that the Coles will put out a sixth edition before long and the story will go on!

Cole & Cole's work is by far one of my favorite textbooks. The reason? The authors methodically lay out child development from a biopsychosocial perspective, which is no small feat.

They write with a thoroughness and efficiency that you will rarely find in a textbook. Their treatment of child development is evenhanded, not privilaging either the bio, psycho, or social perspectives.

Finally, a well thought out book for parents thinking about the college process! My favorite story is early in the book setting the tone for a great and helpful read. Early on, the author is clear that the process is out of control for many parents. As the Admissions Director for MIT, she makes it clear not to worry about college until it is time, rather than picking your preschool with intent to head to the IVYies....This book really tells us there is much more to learn on this road and truly this book is all about that journey in a healthier way!

Really grounded for both parents and teens. A must to read before any other books on college, including the guides to colleges. This gets you centered on what is important and aligns your values; then you can focus on the facts about colleges. A great duo.....a college admissions dean and a pediatrician....both care deeply about kids and speak to what they need.

I found this book to be useful. The author had several suggestions that we had not thought of and facts we were not aware of. The whole college admissions process is way harder than when I went through it, and I would say, there is a lot of negative as far as I can see. Her book is encouraging that the process can be a positive one, if you can step out of the frenzy that most other kids and parents seem to be embroiled in. The only reason I gave it 4/5 stars instead of 5 is because I felt there was some conflicting information between our school's college counselors and her and that's confusing.

As parents who have seen many of our friends completely lose perspective as their kids apply to college, my wife and decided that we would not go down that road when our time came. Forget all the books that imply they will get your child into a "brand name" school. It's about discovering together a place where they can grow, and strenghtening your relationship as you launch them toward their future. In the name of sanity, I recommend this book (and also a great one our own pediatrician recommended, "Getting In Without Freaking Out.") Stop hovering -- start helping your kids by not imposing your agenda.

Ms. Jones's advice on how the parents of high school juniors and seniors can reduce stress in the college admissions process is spot on.

I was lucky enough to receive Ms. Jones's advice when she spoke to a standing-room-only crowd at our Boston area high school. For those not so lucky, you can obtain the advice in her book, coauthored with pediatrician Kenneth R. Ginsburg.

Parents - and their children - will benefit from Jones's advice for two reasons: 1. Jones explains WHY current parents are so hyper about the admissions process (partly due to the fact that we parents are from the generation which mistakenly believes we can accomplish anything!) 2. And Jones gives practical advice on HOW each parent can reduce their child's stress in the admission process, including actions that can be easily implement right away.

Every parent of a high school junior or senior should buy her book today.