What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life

Rating:
Summary: Not quite what the title promises which is a chrono-
Review: logical survey of what happens in the baby's brain for the 1st five years. Instead the book is organized by the five senses and ends with chapters on memory, intelligence. It also has a lot of info on the trauma that can occur in a baby's brain from vaginal births as well as some other material, that while interesting, doesn't seem to fit the title of the book. I expected to find enough info to decide when I would teach my child math, foreign languages, etc. In addition, I found two elements of the book disturbing enough to be distracting: the author brought her baby into her biology lab while she was actively conducting experiments (this can't be safe for a newborn or even legal in this country) and she cites several horrifically cruel neural studies where kittens had their eyes sutured shut. There's even a picture of a baby with a cranial hematoma and one of a baby wearing an electrode cap. I guess scientists have a much thicker skin for this sort of thing than you or me.

Rating:
Summary: A "desert island" book
Review: We took our 10-month-old on vacation to France last summer. With shlepping all her gear, there was very little room to spare in our 22-lb baggage allotment. My partner still laughs at me because I insisted on dragging along this thick, heavy hardbound book -- I couldn't put it down! And it was worth every ounce. I wished I'd read it when my daughter was tiny and colicky, as the sections on newborns' unfinished nervous systems would have been invaluable. I was also fascinated by the calm and factual discussion of the nature vs. nurture debate. I recommend this to all new parents (along with "Sign with Your Baby" by Joseph Garcia).

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: I purchased this book shortly after my son was born. It is an excellent book that keeps you reading. It explained so many reasons why babies do what they do. It has helped me understand my son and we have learned more because of this book. I would recommend it to anyone whether they have children or not.

Rating:
Summary: Great for first time parents
Review: I read this book cover to cover and have referred to several chapters since. While some of the details on the brain's structures are a bit above my head, the rest of the research, etc, was accessible. I liked this book so much, I bought it for my day care provider, a friend, and my pregnant sister-in-law.

Rating:
Summary: Very Informative
Review: My daughter was born 8 weeks early and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. The NICU recommended that I get this and it has proved very helpful in understanding what she is thinking, hearing, seeing, and feeling. A must read for all new parents.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, information-packed book
Review: Dr. Eliot has written a wonderful book. It is not easy reading but will reward the inteligent reader who really wants to know how an infant develops. Each chapter covers a major developmental area - sight, vision, smell, language, intelligence, etc. Not a sentence is wasted. My only extremely minor quibble is that Dr. Eliot says the book "The Bell Curve" states that intelligence is completely inherited. It does not - it says 40-60% which is completely inline with her discussion. Otherwise a magnificent source of information.

Rating:
Summary: Illuminating
Review: A nice reference book. You can read it after you have your baby; it's not really that dense. But it would also be a nice time filler during that last month of pregnancy; in addition, it has good prenatal information.

Rating:
Summary: Read this book before your child is born
Review: It is a very comprehensive book. No doubt about it.
But now imagine that you have one-week-old baby that requires your attention
and these 544 pages of medical information about how neurons grow, and axons connect
and how "this" works that you can't even repeat without looking at it again.
This book has a lot of information. And this is a good book in this sense.
But I got bogged down in it. I simply didn't have time to make use of it.
I wanted a book, which would tell me "what" should be done
and a short and clear explanation "why".
So I believe this book has probably 30-40% more information than you actually need.
Or my advice is - read the book BEFORE you had a child.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This was a bit dense and technical at times, but basically fascinating. I recommend reading it while you're pregnant, before you have your child, so you have the time an energy to absorb it to its fullest, but even afterwards is still very worthwhile. It gives you a real appreciation for the human body and what you are able to create and help develop.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent !
Review: I must have purchased a dozen "baby" books when I learned I was having my first children (twins). This was my favorite book, and it stood out from many of the others. This book covers a lot of very interesting areas of how a child's brain develops and how envirnonment affects development (inside and outside the womb). It also covers all the major senses and discuss how they play a role in developing a child's mind and personality. Be warned though, this book can get very scientific at times, but overful the information is very useful. This book discusses areas I just did not find in other books, such as affects of stay at home vs. career mothers on a child's development and many other interesting areas. If your goal is to try to raise a baby genius, this book should be part of your collection - though it may debunk a lot of theories you'll find in other books and present ones you weren't aware of. Overall, it's a must have book.