The Portable Pediatrician, Second Edition: A Practicing Pediatrician's Guide to Your Child's Growth, Development, Health, and Behavior from Birth to A

The updated edition of Nathanson's 1994 The Portable Pediatrician for Parents looks a lot like the original (are those the same kids on the cover?), but the author has done more than give the old version a spit and a polish: she adds, for example, essays on current concerns such as autism, drug-resistant bacteria and managed care. Divided into three main sections-The Well Child, Illness and Injury, and Pediatric Concerns and Controversies-the book helps parents understand what to expect from their children (e.g., most babies lose weight immediately after birth; most three or four year olds will begin to have questions about sex), how to parent them when they're healthy (everything from setting limits consistently to taking temperatures rectally), and what to do if they're sick (how to perform CPR; when to use Syrup of Ipecac). She also includes To-Do Lists (""Laugh at Four's jokes, even if you don't understand why they're funny), discussions of common but not serious problems, and an impressively large amount of information parents should know but maybe don't (""those bumps you see at the back of the throat are normal taste buds). It's an excellent-one might even say indispensable-resource for the new parent, and Nathanson has a great bedside manner: she shares her expertise clearly, confidently and sometimes with even a touch of humor.