A Good Start in Life: Understanding Your Child's Brain and Behavior [Hardcover]

Norbert, M.D. Herschkowitz (Author), Elinore Chapman Herschkowitz (Author), Jerome Kagan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0309076390 | ISBN-13: 978-0309076395 | Edition: 2nd

There are lots of child development books on the market. But how do readers - especially parents - find practical answers they can trust? "A Good Start in Life" provides just that. We all want to do the best we can for our children. Nature has equipped us with an instinct to protect and nurture. Unfortunately, we have not been provided with universal rules of parenting. So we look to experts to fill that void. But there's just so much information out there - and it often looks like half of it appears to be filled with contradictory advice while the other half is mired in scientific jargon that most parents have trouble deciphering. This is especially true of the data on the intricate workings of the developing brain. It's a daunting task to figure out just what a parent should do. The key is to listen carefully to what science is telling us. Finally, we have sensible guides to interpret the information in straightforward and practical ways.Dr.Norbert Herschkowitz, a Swiss pediatrician and neuroscientist, and his wife, Elinore Chapman Herschkowitz, an American educator, have teamed up to write this warm, friendly book to guide parents through the formative years of their child's life. With a specific focus on the brain, we follow the path of early childhood development from gestation to birth to six years old. Each chapter deals with a particular phase of development. We begin with "Life in the Womb - What Are You Doing In There?" and "Newborn - Here I am!" As parents add candles to the birthday cake, new chapters prepare them for what lies ahead. Best of all, each chapter is accompanied by a section called, "To Think About..." These sections address practical topics like good night rituals, testing limits, coping with conflict, reading books together, the value of piano lessons, evaluating day care options, and encouraging "why" questions.Although there are scores of books that deal with early childhood development, few - if any - so artfully combine solid, reliable science with logical, clear-cut information and advice. Parents need no longer worry about missing special "windows" of learning opportunity. They don't have to deal with lingering doubts about the "right" way or the "best" way to bring up their child. They won't be left with that niggling feeling that they just didn't do something essential. With science - and the Herschkowitz's - by their side, the process of bringing up baby just got a whole lot easier.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

New parents can end up with too many choices, and it seems like a separate book exists for every stage of life--which can be overwhelming when one's reading time is limited. A Good Start in Life aims to reduce the stress, compiling basic information about child development from conception to age 6 in one concise book. Written by a neuroscientist and an educator, you'll find easy-to-digest information about the physical stages of early childhood, as well as straightforward suggestions that make parenting a little easier as your child grows.

In each chapter, you follow a small girl through her life changes. Her second birthday party is a typical madhouse, while by her sixth you can see all types of developed personalities and interpersonal skills at play. Each party is used to demonstrate specific developments, and it's both entertaining and educational to see the kids evolve from playing separately to choosing up sides for a baseball game. Pictures and charts of developmental milestones are included for quick reference, and topics like building security, setting limits, and preparing for school are addressed clearly and briefly. While no special situation is discussed in depth, parents will receive an excellent general overview of what they can expect from life with a little one. --Jill Lightner

From Library Journal

Herschkowitz, a Swiss pediatrician and neuroscientist, and Chapman Herschkowitz, his American educator wife, use a novel device to tackle an oft-discussed subject child development. Directing their text at the educated parents of newborns to six year olds, the authors devise fictitious children of differing temperaments, which allows readers to connect with the text. As these children relate to their parents and one another, their activities at developmental milestones are described. A question-and-answer section closes each chapter. Concerns about what the parent should do in various situations are briefly answered by referring to a scientific explanation, though in several sections the discussion of a topic seems to end abruptly. Although slightly dated, Lise Eliot's What's Going on in There?, Kyle Pruett's Me, Myself, and I: How Children Build Their Sense of Self, and Craig T. and Sharon L. Ramey's Right from Birth are more complete. Still, with a glossary of technical terms and a fairly current bibliography, this remains a solid entry in a crowded field. Purchase for large public library collections. Margaret Cardwell, Christian Brothers Univ. Lib., Memphis
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Joseph Henry Press; 2nd edition (June 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0309076390
• ISBN-13: 978-0309076395
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,430,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Reassuring Guide for Parents and Grandparents, August 20, 2002

By 

Louise Thunin (France) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Good Start in Life: Understanding Your Child's Brain and Behavior (Hardcover)

I wish I had already had this book when my own children were growing up, but now I can consult it to follow and understand the development of my grandchildren. The authors' vast expertise has not kept them from writing a parent-friendly, easily-accessible-for-the-layperson book that answers the questions we all have as we watch our children progress: Are they developing as they should, according to the proper timeline? Am I being too demanding? Not enough? What makes it all work? We know our children are miracles of nature, but the text gives us a wider understanding of why and how. It quells doubts and cheers us, as we watch the "sample" children, so like our own, change from day to day.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and enlightening, June 14, 2003

By 

Dorrie - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Good Start in Life: Understanding Your Child's Brain and Behavior (Hardcover)

Norbert Herschkowitz's book may not be as inspiring a read as The Prenatal Prescription by Peter Nathanielsz, but it's filled with valuable information on giving your baby the healthiest start in life, both prebirth and after birth. The information on how a baby's brain works (e.g. language acquisition) is particularly interesting.

5.0 out of 5 stars A good start for PARENTS!, May 17, 2007

By 

Nicole Dean (Sedona, AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Good Start in Life: Understanding Your Child's Brain and Behavior from Birth to Age 6 (Paperback)

I really think that all parents should get to know their child from the brain perspective. This book provides a thorough and easy-to-follow overview of the child's growing brain. The idea of brain-based education is really catching on these days. Why not brain-based parenting? See also Power Brain Kids