Rating: 
Summary: Your Baby and Child : From Birth to Age Five
Review: This book is an essential resource for parents.Concise, common sense advice and information for every parenting question from teething to enuresis. Penelope Leach provides expertly organized help topics for parents which are easy to understand and use. This book can be read from cover to cover, by a child's age, a chapter here or there, or use it to look up a specific issue. A real lifesaver!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource for parents of young children
Review: I wish I'd had this book when when my daughter was born - I would have been a better and more confident parent. Penelope Leach writes a straightforward, easy-to-understand book that no parent should be without. She helps us understand why the child does the things he does, and once we understand why he's doing it, it's much easier to handle. Whether you're coping with a baby who won't eat or a toddler who throws tantrums, Leach gives you simple, easy solutions to try. Hers is a kinder, gentler form of parenting, in which we try to understand the child rather than simply trying to force him into some mold. I recommend this book highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid Reliable Reference for Parents
Review: Even though Penelope Leach lives in England, her ideas and information feel comfortable to me in a small town in Kansas. Leach has a great understanding and respect for both young children and their parents; she explains many situations from the child's point of view which is extremely helpful. She includes detailed information regarding development, child care, and parenting concerns without talking down to her readers. My only criticism is that a number of topics are a bit too long and dry, but nevertheless interesting, worthwhile information. Leach clearly explains the developmental stages of the first 5 years...newborn, settled baby, older baby, toddler, and young child. I enjoy the photos of real children through out the book. Penelope's positive, common-sense philosophy is very compatible with another one of my favorite parenting guidebooks called "The Pocket Parent." This little book is a quick-read A-Z compendium of sanity saving suggestions to the most challenging behaviors of preschoolers...2's, 3's, 4', and 5's. "Pocket Parent" is loaded with hundreds of practical tips, compassion and humor that serves as an upbeat, easy to read reference book along with the more clinical book, "Your Baby and Child."
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Summary: Extraordinary--but perhaps not for everyone
Review: I found this book to be absolutely extraordinary. I find myself going back to it over and over again as questions and doubts with my young boy arise. I have bought copies for my sister and two other good friends, and will do so again for parents who are reasonably comfortable with the practical issues of childcare, and perhaps somewhat more challenged by the psychological and emotional ones. Some people don't like this book's length, others find it boring and "touchy-feely". This is a matter of personal taste. For me, this book provides an invaluable insight into the developing childs mind and has, unquestionably, allowed me to be a better parent, saved me many angry and frustrating moments, and allowed me to enjoy my boy's childhood better. What some people take as wordiness, I think may be a question of sub-optimal organization. Sometimes the author writes of early developmental stages very late in the book. The back and forth, and lack of clear distinctions may make the book seem repetitive and has, at times, confused me. Still, a relatively small price to pay for those who are more interested in raising a child than getting the temperature of the bathwater right.
Rating: 
Summary: Good information but....
Review: this is such a wordy, boring book to read! The author goes on and on and on with every topic. If you really love to read and have lots of time on your hands and want to delve deeply into every single possible aspect of raising a baby then I suppose this book would would work for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for a more practical reference book for the first two years I'd check out Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth Pantley. It's concise and complete and not wordy at all.
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Summary: Great and "Real"
Review: This book is great!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is very helpfull, it gives great tips that are very "real" when you apply to your kid. Good source of information, too. Easy and clear to understand.
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Summary: Must-have for all first time parents
Review: As a first time parent I found this book very helpfull. It shows that all your worries and anxieties are shared with every other parent and that you are not alone. Penelope Leach writes in a way that makes you feel understood. By writing out of the baby's point of view the reader gains more understanding of what goes on 'inside' their baby's mind. By understanding, why a baby reacts the way it does the parent finds coping with difficult situations easier.
The book is written in a way which is easy to read but does not lack scientific backround and thus comes across as very trustworthy.
I highly recommend this book to every parent.
Rating:
Summary: Childcare Guide 101
Review: I received this book from another mother when I had my first child and I didn't really look at it until after my daughter was a year old. Boy, did I miss a lot! Looking back at the chapters on infant care, I was disgusted with myself that I hadn't looked at the book sooner and saved myself the hassle of debating infant care with my friends, the grandmothers, and my husband. Leach spells it out quite logically (with lots of helpful pictures), and the suggestions work! I now have 3 children and this book stays at my bedside as I care for my 8 month old. I give a copy of this book (as well as books by Dr. Brazelton) to all new mothers with much love.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, informative, reassuring
Review: This book kept my attention all the way through, even before I was planning to have a child. Lots of information is presented in a way that keeps it personal and exciting. Contrary to what another reviewer says, Leach does not advise circumcision at 6 years or at any other age. Although it is a small part of the book, she does give a brief but thorough overview of the subject - including the latest science and the cultural background.
Rating: 
Summary: Useful start
Review: I liked this book as good overview of developmental phases, but it is a lot more touchy-feely than her earlier book Babyhood and jumps to judgements very quickly about issues such as breastfeeding and cloth diapering.
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