Review by Booklist Review
This group of four paperback titles will help round out any child-care collection. The Brazelton books, the first three installments of a new series that will surely become a favorite with both new and experienced parents, come in a handy five-by-seven-inch size, perfect to keep on hand in the nursery or in a nightstand. Brazelton is our modern-day Dr. Spock, and his tips for helping parents deal with everyday concerns and special circumstances have become mainstream in current parenting methodology. In tackling fussy babies, discipline, and sleep in these three titles, Brazelton delivers his tried-and-true techniques in a unique but understandable way, making this easy-to-read series one of the more approachable, if slightly oversimplified, ones published today. Using history as her guide, nationally recognized midwife Gaskin explores what she hopes will be a renaissance in natural childbirth, something that she's been advocating since the mid-1970s. By focusing on how women of ancient civilizations and other modern peoples give birth, Gaskin puts our own hypersensitivities in perspective, uncovering a beautiful, sometimes orgasmic experience rather than a dreadful, painful one. Sure, pain is part of childbirth, but preparing for the pain in a realistic rather than sentimental way--whether giving birth at home or in a hospital--can be the key to a woman's ability to deal with it naturally. Within the pages of personal anecdotes, some touching, some startling, from Gaskin's patients and colleagues, every woman is sure to find something to relate to, whether or not she chooses to have a medicine-free labor. The helpful back matter features a glossary, a detailed resource list including advocacy groups and Web sites, and a bibliography that includes periodicals, rounding out an extremely comprehensive and up-to-date guide on the topic. Mary Frances Wilkens
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
