The Toddler Brain: Nurture the Skills Today That Will Shape Your Child’s Tomorrow

Pediatrician Jana (Heading Home with Your Newborn) opens her thought-provoking book with a startling question: “What if we are... raising our children to succeed in a world that no longer exists?” Jana argues that although the Industrial Age called for linear thinking, the Information Age has different requirements; one estimate is that 65% of today’s toddlers will one day have jobs that don’t yet exist. Jana calls for parenting strategies to be adjusted accordingly, emphasizing the importance of the first five years of life for developing language and other skills. To “build baby’s brain” and “foster foundational skills,” she presents six “QI” skills (from the Mandarin term for life force) that move beyond IQ into emotional intelligence and qualities such as curiosity, creativity, and empathy. For example, a chapter called “Why” probes children’s aptitude for “seeing the world as a question mark,” while the “What If” chapter looks at how young children begin to imagine and explore possibilities. Comfortably straddling the business world and the realm of parenting, Jana observes that the parenting paradigm must shift just as many workplaces are changing with the times. This fascinating, forward-thinking book will help parents prepare their children to reach for the stars—perhaps even those not yet discovered. Agent: Joelle Delbourgo, Joelle Delbourgo Agency. (Feb.)