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Book Recommendations
Your Child takes you step-by-step through the developmental milestones of childhood, discussing
specific questions and concerns and examining more troublesome problems. From choosing your baby's doctor to dealing with sleep problems, from helping a child
develop self-esteem to discerning when certain behaviors call for professional help -- and how to find it -- this book offers comprehensive and accessible information for parents on the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development of children from infancy through the preadolescent years.
Your Child: Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Development from Birth through Preadolescence
by AACAP, David Pruitt
Expertly and definitively offering practical advice and invaluable information, Your Child will guide you through every stage of your child's growth and help you meet the daily challenges of parenting.
Your Adolescent: Emotional, Behavioral,
and Cognitive Development from Early Adolescence through the Teen Years
by David Pruitt, AACAP
Parents, teachers, and mental health workers will find the answers to these and many other questions in this forthright, yet compassionate guide to helping your adolescent through the tumultuous teen years.
From peer pressure and self-esteem to experimentation with sex, alcohol, and drugs, this invaluable resource covers a wide range of practical issues.
Here as well is information on more serious obstacles to a teen's development that may require professional intervention, such as depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, and disruptive behavioral disorders.
As surely as every child will become a teen, every person that must relate to a teen will find this book a reliable, indispensable guide to the ups and downs of adolescence.


Pipher writes from a dual perspective: she has been counseling girls for more than 20 years and is the mother of a teenaged daughter. Her report is frightening. Girls reaching adolescence must thread their way through a maze of difficult and sometimes life-threatening decisions about alcohol, sex, drugs, weight, and interests. Girls receive mixed messages from society about how to look, act, and feel, Pipher asserts, even though they are not intellectually ready to make decisions of this magnitude.
As a result, depression, eating disorders, addiction, and suicide are increasing at an alarming rate. Pipher offers some practical suggestions and strategies for parents to help girls into adulthood with their sense of self intact. She also sounds a wake-up call to parents, urging them to become involved in the lives of their daughters and to change the societal pressures that push girls into crisis situations. Review excerpt from Library Journal
Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls
by Mary Pipher
"This book distills the wisdom of an approach that Dr. Barkley and others have been developing for more than 20 years. As a school psychologist, I have used this program since 1990 in a group setting with over 1,300 parents, the majority of whom found it beneficial. Finally, parents have a manual to help them implement the program at home. It
is supportive, nonjudgmental, and filled with practical suggestions and true-to-life anecdotes. All parents who
are concerned about their children's behavior should read this book."
Frederick L. Quici, NCSP, Alta Loma School District, Alta Loma, California
Your Defiant Child
by Russell A. Barkley and Christine M. Benton
The Optimistic Child: Proven Program to Safeguard Children from Depression & Build Lifelong Resilience
by Martin E. Seligman, PhD
According to noted psychologist Seligman (author of Learned Optimism), 30% of American children suffer from depression. Further, his studies demonstrate that "pessimistic children are at much higher risk for becoming depressed than optimistic children." His mission is to
teach parents and other concerned adults how to instill in children a sense of optimism and personal mastery. He proposes that self-esteem comes from mastering challenges, overcoming frustration and experiencing individual achievement. In clear, concise prose peppered with anecdotes, dialogues, cartoons and exercises, Seligman offers a concrete plan of action based on techniques of self-evaluation and social interaction. He describes the development of the Penn Depression Prevention Program, in which school kids are taught ways to divest themselves of pessimistic approaches and adopt optimistic ones, and adapts it to home use by parents.
Publishers Weekly
Will Allen and the Great Monster Detective
Jason Edwards
Will Allen and the Great Monster Detective is the story of a smart but timid 5th grade boy haunted by fears that have literally come to life. He searches fruitlessly for help until a strange business card mysteriously appears in his book bag, instructing him how to summon Bigelow Hawkins, The Great Monster Detective. With Bigelow's help, along with the use of a very special flashlight and magnifying glass, Will must learn how to conquer his monsters and uncover the secret of the dreadful Hidden Beast before it's too late...
If your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder
An Essential Resource for Parents
by Edna Foa, Ph.D., and Linda Wasmer Andrews
"This book is a must for any parent who has an adolescent plagued by worries and anxiety. It is unique in combining current knowledge with practical information about what adolescents experience, what can be done, and how parents can help. Although written for parents, professionals will also benefit from the book's broad discussion of diagnosis, treatment, and causes of various anxiety states. Clearly, this book reflects the vast clinical experience of a seasoned and compassionate clinician." --Rachel Klein, Ph.D., New York University Child Study Center
Freeing Your Child From Negative Thinking
by Tamar E. Chansky, Ph.D.
A leading clinical expert in the fields of child cognitive behavior therapy and anxiety disorders, Dr. Tamar Chansky frequently counsels children (and their parents) whose negative thinking creates chronic or occasional emotional hurdles and impedes optimism, flexibility, and happiness. Now, in the first book that specifically focuses on negative thinking in kids, Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking provides parents, caregivers, and clinicians the same clear, concise, and compassionate guidance that Dr. Chansky employed in her previous guides to relieving children from anxiety and obsessive compulsive symptoms. Here she thoroughly covers the underlying causes of children?s negative attitudes, as well as providing multiple strategies for managing negative thoughts, building optimism, and establishing emotional resilience.
Help for Worried Kids: How Your Child Can Conquer Anxiety and Fear
by Cynthia G. Last, Ph.D.
Most childhood fears are nothing to worry about. But panic attacks, phobias, and persistent anxiety can darken a child's horizons and lead to disrupted sleep, lower grades, and missed opportunities to make friends and explore the world. The book emphasizes strategies for preventing episodes before they begin, demonstrates how to intervene when one is in progress, and offers tips on how to keep anxiety from worsening as a child matures.
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