BABY MINDS: BRAIN-BUILDING GAMES YOUR BABY WILL LOVE

Acredolo and Goodwyn, child development psychologists and coauthors of the acclaimed Baby Signs, have teamed up again to assist parents in teaching their infants from birth to 36 months of age. Their goal is to take state-of-the-art research and translate it into pragmatic techniques for fostering child development in the areas of problem solving, talking, reading, and math preparation. The authors' philosophy is well articulated in their statement on baby education classes: "If your baby is not having fun, it's probably not worth doing." Their work differs from other baby-game books, such as Elaine Martin's Baby Games (1988), in that it is not simply a laundry list of nursery rhymes, recipes, and action plays. Rather, it addresses broader developmental concepts and provides more open-ended questions and activities to stimulate learning. However, they do include a brief yet useful "Tips Revisited" section that outlines age-appropriate techniques. Recommended for both public and academic libraries.DLisa Williams, Moline P.L., IL