The collaboration of Linda C. Mayes (Arnold Gesell Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center) and Donald J. Cohen (Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center), The Yale Child Study Center Guide To Understanding Your Child: Healthy Development From Birth To Adolescence is a superbly practical and "reader friendly" guide for parents which compiles the findings and discoveries of the Yale Child Study Center (an organization first founded in 1911) in order to assisting men and women in finding their own parenting style, achieve balance between family and work duties, and acquire ways to strengthen the ties the bind their family relationships and deal with difficult issues arising from new siblings, to school bullies, to divorce and death. The Yale Child Study Center Guide To Understanding Your Child is confidently recommended as being a wide-ranging, eminently readable reference packed with solid information for parents and caretakers of children everywhere.

I got this book from the library for my 3-year old sons who love zebras. While the text is clearly for older kids (9 and older or so), the book is full of illustrations and photograhs and lots of information even younger kids can enjoy. One son sleeps with this book and never tires of looking at the pictures. He points to parts of the text near the pictures he likes, asks me to read, and he sits captivated.

We've also gotten other books in the Zoobooks series from the library and they are always a big hit! I finally bought the zebra and the gorilla (two favorites). If your kids are interested in animals, they'll love any of these books.

I home educate my 12-year-old son, so I need a textbook that gives clear explanations, includes plenty of worked examples, and provides answers to the exercises so I can check his work. This textbook is brilliantly clear and perfectly suited to independent study. Answers are provided for odd-numbered exercises only, but there are so many exercises at the end of each chapter that this has never been a problem for us: we just do all the odd-numbered exercises. Each chapter also has a chapter test and a set of cumulative review exercises at the end, for which answers to ALL of the problems are provided. This is an extremely useful feature for home educators. At the end of the book there is a cumulative test of the whole book, for which answers to every problem are provided, so you can do a thorough review with no uncertainty about marking. You could also use the final test as a pre-test to determine what areas you need to work on, if you're trying to fill in gaps from an unsuccessful school course. I only wish we could find textbooks of this quality for our other subjects!

I am looking for this book ISBN 0-321-06192-6

This is the most beautiful math textbook I've ever seen. To each chapter there are many examples that show clearly what is covered. In the problem solving questions, some are based on real life. The only little problem is that the answers at the back to the exercises are odd-numbered! I use it as a homework textbook for a math programme and I NEVER get stuck on it!

The information provided in Self-Parenting was written with great clarity, which makes this book easy to understand and use. The ideas conveyed here were also done with love and nurturing. Both my inner child and I LOVED the whimsy of the illustrations and large print. It's a very well-written book and a great tool. I've used this technique in the past and found it very helpful. I expect to get back to it in the near future.

I have been using this book with my clients for more than seven years. I am so disappointed that it is out of print. It is a positive life experience when practicing self-parenting--going from negative inner parenting talk (e.g., "you're stupid", "life is a bummer", "you'll never get what you want", etc.) to having the loving/nurturing parent listen to the inner child and allowing him/her to be heard (e.g., "I want you to succeed because you are worth it--what do you want to do to make that happen? The child responds "I want to go to school to make myself the best I can be". The parent agrees, the child goes to school and everyone wins!!). It is a very simple concept and a very powerful tool from changing folks shame based existence into love, kindness and success. I would recommend Self-Parenting to anyone who has grown up in guilt, fear, shame and rage.

An easy-to-read, delightfully simple book with a life-altering message presented in a format that speaks to the logical and the intuitive / emotional parts of the brain at the same time. The techniques in this book not only work in relationships with inner selves, they work with other people as well. Winning -- really winning -- involves finding win-win solutions to conflict. And this book teaches how to do just that. I've bought, given away, loaned, and recommended this book to many friends. It is especially helpful to people who were raised by less-than-nurturing (e.g. alcoholic) parents. While there are other books on this subject (I have Charles Whitfield's also), I haven't found a more effective book in teaching how to resolve the pain of inner conflict than Self Parenting by John K. Pollard. I hope this book goes back into print. In the meantime, I'm ordering three copies.

I was a little disappointed in this book. After reading the previous reviews, I expected something a little different. It was good for pointing out different situations that require setting boundaries (which adult children definitely need,) but it's very situation/response oriented which I found somewhat limiting in its usefulness. It does offer some tools that can give you strength in dealing with difficult situations. Some of their examples are pretty lame. For example, "You know, Susan, that felt sort of shaming. Are you trying to say that my choice of clothes isn't classy enough for you?" It was also somewhat cute-sie. Overall it was helpful but had it's limitations.

Whoever said it was too cookbook hasn't appreciated the the value of having a thorough one at hand. I loved the Friel's approach. It is a bit harder on the ego than the Woititz ACOA book but this one includes ALL dysfunctions, and I know even after years in recovery I will still find valuable resources in this book to guide me along my bumpy journey. As one who has NO idea what is normal, yet somehow manages to function at the basic level in society, I definitely appreciated the simple yet thorough approach used here.

This book isn't another "blame the parents--give you an excuse" soother. It requires that we take responsibility for our adult lives, recovery, happiness, misery, relationships, dysfunctional patterns & our future. This book shows me exactly what healthy (they don't believe in the statistical normal, to them normal means emotionally healthy, which is a far more useful definition of the ambiguous term "normal" anyway) living means, looks-smells-tastes-feels like! I can use this book as a check-up to see if I'm on the right track and if not, follow the suggestions or get further help.

Most of all this book helped me to recognize that recovery isn't an overnight process, can't be done alone in isolation, that I'm human and mistakes are actually a GOOD and WELCOME experience and do NOT have anything whatsoever to do with my self-worth. This book even includes several chapters on how to respond to con artists, abusers & generally rude, mean or unhealthy people. How to deal with zingers, how to set healthy boundaries & protect ourselves & our healthy boundaries, I could go on for pages praising this book.

I've bought numerous other self-help books & this one was the best. The authors do suggest waiting until one has 2+ years of recovery before tackling this book. To hell with that. Read it now, and every step of the way on your journey. Start feeling better about YOU & your life right NOW, today. Good luck on your journey, happy discoveries to you.

This book has been a Godsend! I've read it several times and am now using it in a bookstudy group for an e-mail group I run for people recovering from codependent relationships to sexual addicts. You might not think there was anything "wrong" with your family of origin, but this will help you pinpoint some of the reasons why you may make the bad choices you do in your life, what's healthy and "normal," and steps you can take to learn how to make healthy choices for yourself. Highly recommended! Very good, solid advice delivered in an easy-to-read format, not boring, not "clinical," but written for a wide audience yet not preachy or insulting. Great book!

I started reading this book for my job, which means I didn't have any expectations. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Linda Johns' writing is a perfect winter read since her lyrical prose is like a warm blanket. She invites you into her world of rural simplicity without any presumptions and introduces you to her feathered family of roosters, pigeons, quails, robins, blue jays and who ever else happens to fly in and out of those pages. Yet Johns doesn't concentrate solely on the birds in her life, she also speaks of the harmonious connection she has with the lanscape around her and the significance of time and seasons. Her life and writing is like a magical dream and she has the rare talent on offering that feeling to her readers. I know this book is great since I would rather sit with a cup of hot apple cider and read than watch any prime-time television shows.

Linda Jones is an accomplished painter and sculptor who lives in a woodland studio and became widely known as the "Bird Lady" because of her work in rescuing and caring for birds and other wildlife. She began by tending the occasional wounded or orphaned bird that came her way and today shares her home with an ever-shifting population of birds and other creatures -- some of whom having moved in to stay! In A Feathered Family: Nature Notes From A Woodland Studio, Linda Johns writes lyrically and engagingly about the natural world around her studio and the feathered characters who visit her and who share her home. With a natural talent for storytelling, Johns regales the reader with funny, affectionate stories enhanced with her drawings of avian house mates. A Feathered Family is enthusiastically recommended and entertaining reading for all bird and wildlife enthusiasts.

This short story collection is a worthwhile read, and I will be looking up some of the authors featured. In particular, Andrew Sean Greer's story is heartbreaking; William J. Cyr's story has an interesting conversational, matter-of-fact tone; and the curiously named author "wormser" has a short but sweet entry. The best part of this collection, for me, is the interview with author Richard Bausch. I found it thoroughly inspiring, as it touches upon such problems as writer's block and having the confidence and determination to live a writer's life. The best part about Glimmer Train collections as a whole is that they give unpublished writers their first break, in addition to publishing established writers. More literary magazines of this caliber and spirit of inclusiveness are sorely needed!

This is an enjoyable collection of short stories; although, as with other collections, there are a couple of weak links in the chain. Nevertheless, it's worth buying for Andrew Greer's story alone. Others are also quite good, such as Karen Outen's fictional debate on whether to have a baby, Wormser's story about a childhood friend, and William Cyr's original and witty (and, at the same time, chilling) story of a bad stepfather. I also enjoyed the whole presentation--with baby photos of the authors (as well as current shots) and their personal comments. Established author Richard Bausch talks about writing, racism, and life in general in an engaging interview. Definitely worth a read!

This is a great supplement to another potty book. It is low-key and humourous and reminds parents to let their child set the pace and experiment. However, we had to skip over some of the humourous experimenting that the boy in the book tries; my son was inspired and starting throwing toys in the potty. In addition, when the boy Will finally decides to go pee, the picture and words don't match (the words say he is pulling down his pajamas, but the picture shows jeans and a t-shirt). Normally not a big deal, but during potty-training, our kids are scouting for details. There are no details about potty-training in this book-- ie: washing hands, pants up and down, etc. Overall, a great book; my son loves it and "reads" it on his own and brings it to me several times a day. Incidentally, the stickers and tattoos in the back were a great motivator.

Finally there's a new potty training book available! I had been disappointed with previous books on this subject (of which there are only a handful). "To Pee or Not to Pee" gives kids a light, funny tale about a boy who's just not interested in using his toilet. My son loved the stickers and tattoos in the back, too.

I loved To Pee or not To Pee and so did my child! What a great way to help your child feel that he/she is in control of answering the question "To Pee or not To Pee?" This book has guided my family through two potty trainings and has been extremely effective and fun.

The stickers and bright illustrations were an added plus.

Self-help is big business. According to Gerald Rosen (1993) as many as 2000 self-help books are published each year. However, only a very few have been evaluated empirically. This sad state of affairs is a poor response to the appeal made by Rosen (1987) that self-help books should first be evaluated empirically before being sold to the general public. Additionally, the little research that has been done on do-it-yourself treatment books sometimes demonstrates major limitations in their usefulness. Yet psychologists continue to develop and market new programs with increasingly exaggerated claims. This is potentially a problem. Especially as psychologists often use self-help books as adjuncts to their clinical practice (Starker, 1988). The good news from research (e.g. Gould & Clum, 1993) is that certain self-help programs can be quite effective. Fairburn’s Binge Eating Disorder treatment (Carter & Fairburn, 1998) and the Albany protocol for Panic Disorder (Barlow & Craske, 1994) are two good examples. In Gould and Clum’s (1993) meta-analysis, fears, depression, headaches, and sleep disturbances were especially amenable to self-help approaches. Sometimes with effect sizes as large as for therapist assisted treatments.

How can busy clinicians keep up with the flood of new self-help books, and know which to recommend? Guilford Press offers a solution. In an attempt to help the clinicians a guide to self-help resources in mental health has been published. It includes ratings and reviews of more than 600 self-help books, autobiographies and popular films. It also includes hundreds of Internet sites, and listings of online support groups. The book addresses 28 prevalent clinical disorders and life challenges – from Schizophrenia, Anxiety and Mood Disorders to Career Development, Stress Management and Relaxation.

To determine the usefulness of the self-help resources a series of national studies have been conducted over the past 7 years. The methodology consisted of a lengthy survey mailed to clinical and counselling psychologists residing throughout the USA. A total of 2,500 psychologists contributed with their expertise and judgement in evaluating the books, movies, and Internet sites. The self-help resources were rated on a 5-point scale (-2 to +2). These data were converted into a one to five star rating (negative ratings were given a dagger). On this basis, 19% of the self-help books were rated as “very helpful” and fortunately only 1% as “very harmful” [e.g. the assertiveness training book Winning Through Intimidation by Ringer (1973) and the weight management book the Beverly Hills Diet by Mazel (1981). Interestingly, many of the books by Scientologist guru L Ron Hubbard are categorized as extremely bad].

When looking more closely at a specific disorder, let us say for example panic disorder, there are some good books that I feel are missing. This is probably because of the rating criteria. In order for a book to be included in this self-help guide the psychologists used as referees had to know about the book beforehand. It was their rating of previously read books that mattered. Hence, if there were good books out there that had not been read by many referees [like the Australian panic disorder workbook by Franklin (1996)], they would automatically receive a lower rating. Thus, a low rating does not necessarily mean that a book is less helpful than a higher rated book – only that it has not reached a wide audience. For example, an excellent book, An End to Panic (Zuercher-White, 1998), previously recommended in a review article (Carlbring, Westling, & Andersson, 2000) was described as “highly regarded by the psychologists in our national studies but not well known, leading to a 3-star rating.” (p. 79). Another thing that disturbed me was that this particular author’s name was misspelled. Instead of Zuercher the surname appeared as Luerchen. No wonder the book was “not well known”! One wonders how many other errors this survey included.

In a perfect world all self-help books would be scrutinized in the same manner as other treatments. However, as a majority of the published books still have not been evaluated, this new guide to self-help is a step in the right direction. Despite questionable inclusion criteria and a few errors I thoroughly recommend this excellent guide to self-help

From books and movies to the Internet, Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources in Mental Health provides a strong survey of self-help resources in mental health which reveals the good ones, bad ones, and how general consumers can tell the difference. Five national studies involving over 2,500 mental health professionals lends to a rating of over six hundred titles and films, along with Internet sites evaluated by a clinical psychologist.

This book contains reviews / lists of the best (and worst) of self-help books / movies and internet resources. It has been compiled using surveys of 1000's of mental health professionals and gives essential guidance on which resources are helpful, and which are best left alone.

The book is clearly-written and well laid out - each chapter relates to a specific problem area eg mood disorders, men's issues, abuse, anxiety etc.

I found the recommendations on books particularly helpful - one can immediately determine which are the best books to read on their own specific problem. Clearly, the input of mental health professionals gives a "scientific" basis on recommendations which in turn leads to a systematic process of choosing which resources should be given credence.

Essential reading if you want to build up a collection of serious (i.e. most useful) self-help resources.

I bought this book about 3 years ago. I couldn't help but notice a major contradiction in how John Little over emphasizes the value of analysis in western philosophy, yet he praises non dogmatic thought. Analysis is non dogmatic and that is why western philosophy utilizes it. This book is based on a lot of eastern philosophy, which in my opinion, is more dogmatic than not. Bruce Lee wasn't that intelligient, he was just well read. He was anti-external authoritive, meaning, a person should hold his self as his highest value. When you hold yourself above all other things, how do you expect to avoid being selfish and arrogant? The value placed on subjective experience towards finding truth is enormous.

This book is light reading. Basically all Bruce Lee did was combine eastern philosophy with the humanistic perception in psychology. This book is a good synthesis of these two schools of thought. However, it is hardly ground breaking. John Little has done a good job of interpreting Bruce Lee's words and the book is well written. Bruce Lee was an unbelievably talented and intense martial artist. I will also be eternally grateful to him and John Little for introducing me to philosophy. And despite what I have said so far about the material found in the book, there are valuable insights to be found. This is why I have given it 3 stars and not less

After reading Tao of Jeet Kune Do , and absorbing some of the concepts and applying them to how I view the world and finding it changed my life for the better , I was hungry for more Bruce Lee philosophy. This book does an excellent job of interpreting Bruce's philosophies and is an excellent supplement to Tao of Jeet Kune Do. A fufilling and enlightening read which aims towards the core of Bruce's philosophies--helping a person develop their own philosophy.

For those of you who are drawn to the charisma of Bruce Lee that transcends physical skills, I highly recommend this book.

It is easy to see that John Little has a great deal of respect and gratitude for Lee.

This book is a unique blend of Bruce Lee's thoughts, references from other philosophical sources, and realistic illustrations of how we, as readers, can understand and apply the teachings in our own process.

I think we all find ourselves here (contemplating buying this book) because we are ready to read it.

PS: If anyone knows how I can obtain a copy of the Mandarin version of the Big Boss, I would appreciate your information. Thanks!