The Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood & Adolescence - Hardcover

Intended for the general public, parents, and professionals serving children and teenagers, this thorough and comprehensive encyclopedia contains nearly 700 entries on "the primary stages, key theories, and issues in child development, and definitions of terms and concepts related to the health care, education, and developmental psychology of children."

The alphabetically arranged entries range in length from one or two paragraphs to 5,000 words. There are entries for names, such as T. Berry Brazelton and Maria Montessori, and for concepts and terms, such as Apgar scale, Down syndrome, gender identity, peer pressure, and whole language. Longer articles cover such topics as language development and social competence. Each entry begins with a brief definition in italics and ends with a source list of books and periodical articles (and, in some entries, professional associations related to the entry topic). Many entries have sidebars, tables, and graphs that are intended to enhance the reader's understanding of the subject. Cross-references are bolded in the text of the entry, and some entries contain additional see also references listed at the end. A 30-page general bibliography and a general index providing useful access points for readers desiring more specific information complete the work.

The editors have succeeded in providing accurate information that will be easily understood by the general public. The choice of entries is especially appropriate for the book's intended audience. The coverage of physical and mental-health-related topics is particularly strong, ranging wide in scope and deep in detail. However, there are organizational aspects of the book that are questionable. Sexual activity is covered in the article sexually transmitted diseases, and there are separate entries for contraception, condoms, hormones, and other aspects of sexual behavior. Why not have a single article covering sexual behavior from childhood to adolescence? Information on drug abuse is also scattered throughout the volume--why not a drug abuse entry? Religion is neither an entry nor an index term, but instead is subsumed under the entry spirituality in children.

Surprisingly, despite a variety of reference sources that deal with the family, psychology, and sociology, there is none that covers the same broad range of topics related to childhood and adolescence. Despite some flaws, this authoritative and unusually accessible reference work is strongly recommended for academic, medium and large-size public, high-school, and special libraries.

Edited by Harvard University professor Kagan, this rather academic compilation of almost 700 essays on a wide spectrum of topics concerning child development purports to be a "comprehensive reference work addressed to those interested in human development from birth to adolescence." Well organized and indexed, with signed entries as well as bibliographies, this cumulation is a good starting point for general researchers. Roughly 200 illustrations accompany the entries, which usually address concepts but also cover prominent individuals, e.g., Jean Piaget. The book is not, however, an in-depth, pragmatic guide to raising children. For example, the two-paragraph description of colic provides a clinical account and statistics about this malaise but offers little support for those experiencing such a situation. The Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Education (Garland, 1992) addresses similar issues and is directed at the same audience. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.?Lisa Powell Williams, Moline Southeast Lib., Ill.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.