The Mommy Manager

Linden, former chief of dietetics at a Detroit hospital, and Gross, an advertising creative consultantboth mothersoffer parents practical help that is attuned to the stages of child development. They make suggestions and present ideas on toilet training, children sleeping in their parents' bed, exercise for mother, putting on parties, travel problems, etc. Unfortunately, the authors often use a cute, sporadically simplistic tone that trivializes their message (""Mommy and Daddy can set the sharing example by giving to charity''). There is also a slightly naive approach: the authors assume that mothers will always be home (just one of the 14 chapters is devoted to the ``Working Mommy''), and they point out that anyone who ever strikes or verbally abuses a child should seek help immediately. Still, there are many helpful pointers here. (November)