The Emotional and Physical Needs of Children from Birth to Age 2
August 1, 2001
Pocket Books is releasing two companion collections of essays by the bestselling Benjamin Spock, the author of Baby and Child Care, one of the most widely read parenting books ever written. Both are edited by Spock collaborator Martin T. Stein. Dr. Spock's The First Two Years: The Emotional and Physical Needs of Children from Birth to Age Two guides parents through baby colic, infant fretfulness, diaper rash, spitting-up, choosing a doctor, first foods, ear infections, walking, separation anxiety, toilet training, the dangers of spoiling children and many other challenges. Uninitiated parents will be pleased with Spock's trademark common sense: on contemporary parents' lack of confidence in their own child-rearing judgments, the pediatrician cites young couples' tendency to settle down far from grandparents. This can leave them dependent on experts "who... belittle and condescend to their... readers."
August 3, 2001
These two titles collect for the first time essays that the late Spock wrote for Redbook (1985-92) and Parenting (1992-98) magazines. They maintain Spock's devotion to the central theme of his advice for parents: simply stated, they should "trust themselves." In The First Two Years, he expands on this idea in his reply to the question, "What has eroded so many parents' self-assurance in asking for reasonably good behavior? First is the preoccupation with child psychology, which has filled the shelves of bookstores and created a dozen magazines in the past 30 years." In The School Years, our contemporary culture's tendency to overschedule children is addressed. Spock's concern is that it can leave children overly tired and without the necessary time for friendships; however, the children he interviewed noted that they enjoyed the activities they were allowed to select for themselves. The First Two Years belongs next to Penelope Leach's Your Baby and Child: From Birth to Age Five (LJ 11/15/97) and Arlene Eisenberg's "What To Expect" series on library shelves. The School Years should sit alongside Louise Bate Ames's books. Edited by Stein, who worked closely with Spock on the seventh edition of Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care, these works are sure to circulate continuously owing to Spock's illustrious reputation and commonsense approach. Recommended for all public libraries. [Pocket is reissuing a paperback edition of Dr. Spock on Parenting: Sensible, Reassuring Advice for Today's Parents (ISBN 0-7434-2683-5) to coincide with publication of these anthologies. Ed.] Lisa Powell Williams, Moline P.L., IL
Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.