The Black Parenting Book: Caring for Our Children in the First Five Years
Practical information, advice, and sensible answers to sensitive issues characterizeThe Black Parenting Book, a comprehensive guide to baby and child care for black children during their first five years. Written by Anne C. Beal (a pediatrician at Harvard Medical School), Linda Villarosa (an editor for theNew York Times), and Allison Abner (an acclaimed journalist),The Black Parenting Bookcombines medical know-how and expert parenting advice with perspectives unique to African American parenting. Black kids are more at-risk than white kids in matters such as obesity (more than 25 percent of black children are obese), asthma, death from falls, inadvertent poisoning, and loss of self-esteem, andThe Black Parenting Bookdeals with these issues as well as covering the basics of baby and child care (feeding, sleeping, skin, hair, bathing, toilet training). The authors raise and answer questions such as "How can I find a pediatrician who shares my values?" "Are all-black preschools best?" and "Should I straighten my child's hair?" The authors help parents prepare their children for the pain of racism, handle racist incidents, select a preschool, give support to their children during stressful  times (divorce, death, moving), deal with discipline without spanking, and support spirituality and family traditions. The book handles these  issues--and far more--with sensibility and sensitivity.--Ericka Lutz