The Development of Children [Hardcover]

Michael Cole (Author), Sheila R. Cole (Author), Cynthia Lightfoot (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0716755556 | ISBN-13: 978-0716755555 | Publication Date: June 28, 2004 | Edition: 5th

Through four editions, The Development of Children has provided students and instructors with a rigorous textbook that encompasses both scientific research and the authors' years of practical experience. For the Fifth Edition, Michael and Shelia Cole are joined by Cynthia Lightfoot, whose expertise and engaging style further enhances this well-respected book. Throughout the text, all three authors encourage students to better understand their own lives, as well as the process of development.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

MICHAEL COLE is Professor of Psychology, Communication and Human Development at the University of California. He is based at University College San Diego, where he is the Director of the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition. SHEILA R. COLE a former journalist who specialized in writing about families, children, development and education. CYNTHIA LIGHTFOOT is Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University and Division Head of Health and Human Development for the Commonwealth College. She is currently Vice President of the Jean Piaget Societ

Product Details

• Hardcover: 816 pages
• Publisher: Worth Publishers; 5th edition (June 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716755556
• ISBN-13: 978-0716755555
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A resource for parents, for teachers, and child experts, October 2, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Development of Children (Hardcover)

Michael and Sheila Cole have written a very readable book that is designed as an overview of past and current theories of human development. It was designed for college courses, but it is also the sort of reassuring companion a parent might want to consult, to answer such questions as whether or not picking up a crying child encourages fussiness, how to encourage a child to get along with other children, or how to establish moral rules effectively. They frequently discuss examples of events that occurred while raising their own children, as well as other stories of real situations, in the context of all that is currently known about children from infancy to adolescence.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far one of my counseling textbook favorites., February 6, 2003

By 

Rocco B. Rubino "Rocco R." (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Development of Children (Hardcover)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this for life, April 21, 2006

By 

Andy Blunden (Brunswick, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Development of Children (Hardcover)

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!