The Child aims to provide parents and professionals with reliable information and access to the best scholarship from all areas of child studies - and from all regions of the world - in a single-volume reference.
This encyclopaedic companion brings together contemporary research on children and childhood from paediatrics, child psychology, childhood studies, education, sociology, history, law, anthropology, and other related areas - in sum, more than 500 articles, all written by experts in their fields and overseen by noted anthropologist Richard A Shweder.
Each entry begins with a concise and accessible synopsis of the topic at hand. For example, 'adoption' begins with a general definition, followed by a detailed look at adoption in different cultures and at different times, a summary of the associated mental and developmental issues that can arise, and an overview of applicable legal and public policy, both within the United States and elsewhere.
Entries also include multiple cross-references to guide readers toward related topics within the volume, plus suggestions for further reading.
While many of the entries address universal, biological facts about children, they also consider the many worlds of childhood within the United States and around the globe.
Alongside the topical articles, The Child includes more than 40 'Imagining Each Other' essays, which focus on the experiences of particular children in different cultures.
