cover image Disney Encyclopedia of Baby and Child Care

Disney Encyclopedia of Baby and Child Care

Judith Palfrey, Palfrey. Disney Editions, $29.95 (672pp) ISBN 978-0-7868-8004-1

Four respected pediatricians have compiled this encyclopedia, illustrated with drawing, in which style and substance are given equal consideration. Volume I, Infant and Child Development--Birth to Age Six, speeds through the dense progression of these years, suggesting milestones and signs of trouble for various ages and offering two additional sections, ``Basics of First Aid'' and ``Common Childhood Symptoms'' including fever and constipation. In Volume II, A to Z Encyclopedia of Child Health & Illness, 160 medical and behavioral concerns in alphebetical order, from ``Abscess'' to ``Worms,'' are covered in a direct if surface fashion. As is that of the first, the content of the second volume seems oddly balanced, giving about the same space to such unusual pathologies as Wilms' tumor, a form of kidney cancer, as to strep throat and measles. The coverage of childhood medical issues is broader than it is deep; this encyclopedia will likely be most useful to parents as an initial reference, a starting point to further reading. 100,000 first printing; $300,000 ad promo. (Apr.)