A Field Guide to Boys and Girls: Differences, Similarities; Cutting-Edge Information Every Parent Needs to Know - Hardcover

Gilbert, Susan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060193719 ISBN 13: 9780060193713

Publisher: Harper, 2000

Synopsis

A Field Guide to Boys and Girls is the only book to answer these common questions and many others, addressing the special needs of boys and girls all in one volume. Susan Gilbert offers a fresh examination, based on the latest research, of the topic of gender development, showing that there are in fact natural differences between boys and girls -- and how parents can use this information to raise their children the best way possible (a "Suggestions for Parents" section ends each chapter).

Looking at the stages boys and girls go through from fetal development to adolescence, Susan Gilbert tells parents things about their children they might never have known -- for example, that boys cry more frequently, and that girls make more eye contact, eliciting more conversation from parents, a fact that allows girls to speak earlier than boys.

Outlining the differences simply and clearly, Susan Gilbert shows parents how to nurture the areas in boys and girls that may be slower to develop, such as math skills in girls and language skills in boys, and how to deal with the challenges they face as their children grow up.

As pioneering gender researcher Carol Nagy Jackson, Ph.D., says in her foreword, "Scientists have not always been able to translate their findings into usable information for the general public....

This 'field guide' provides a missing link." In talking to a variety of educators, psychologists, and behavioral pediatricians, Susan Gilbert has amassed all the most important current thinking and practices on gender, translating the findings into easy-to-use advice. A Field Guide to Boys and Girls is a vital tool that no parent can afford not to read.

About this title

About the Author

Susan Gilbert,a regular contributor to the New York Times science section, is a journalist who writes extensively on children's health and development. Her work has appeared in publications ranging from Redbook to Parenting to the Harvard Health Publications. She lives in New York.

From the Back Cover

A Field Guide to Boys and Girls is the only book to answer these common questions and many others, addressing the special needs of boys and girls all in one volume. Susan Gilbert offers a fresh examination, based on the latest research, of the topic of gender development, showing that there are in fact natural differences between boys and girls -- and how parents can use this information to raise their children the best way possible (a "Suggestions for Parents" section ends each chapter).

Looking at the stages boys and girls go through from fetal development to adolescence, Susan Gilbert tells parents things about their children they might never have known -- for example, that boys cry more frequently, and that girls make more eye contact, eliciting more conversation from parents, a fact that allows girls to speak earlier than boys.

Outlining the differences simply and clearly, Susan Gilbert shows parents how to nurture the areas in boys and girls that may be slower to develop, such as math skills in girls and language skills in boys, and how to deal with the challenges they face as their children grow up.

As pioneering gender researcher Carol Nagy Jackson, Ph.D., says in her foreword, "Scientists have not always been able to translate their findings into usable information for the general public....

This 'field guide' provides a missing link." In talking to a variety of educators, psychologists, and behavioral pediatricians, Susan Gilbert has amassed all the most important current thinking and practices on gender, translating the findings into easy-to-use advice. A Field Guide to Boys and Girls is a vital tool that no parent can afford not to read.

Reviews

New York Times science writer Gilbert taps into parents' natural fascination with gender issues and urges readers to move beyond the fear that discovering sex differences will lead to sex biases.Beginning with gender differences in the womb, Gilbert walks parents through such issues as early brain development, Barbies, guns, math and personality traits such as aggressiveness or sociability. While much of the information won't seem earth-shattering to parents who keep up on such matters, they will be pleased by Gilbert's thorough research. Some may be surprised to learn that boys are more vulnerable than girls at birth or that girls have a higher risk of sports injuries as they grow older. Each chapter includes a helpful summary and advice on what parents can do to combat problems related to their child's gender. For instance, the author suggests parents talk more to their infant sons to help them develop language skills and help their toddler daughters build self-confidence by resisting the urge to shield them from failure. Parents and educators will find this a useful resource that summarizes the main issues and provides solid advice on how to ensure equality for kids of both genders at home and at school.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Journalist Gilbert looks at decades of research that explores the differences between the sexes from birth to 12 years. She credits the feminist movement with challenging assumptions about achievements of boys and girls in nontraditional arenas and insisting on inclusion of girls in research by social scientists. Gilbert examines the scientific validity of beliefs about the differences between boys and girls that can be accounted for by genetics versus culture: why boys are generally more physically aggressive and girls more verbal, and how children adopt gender identity. Early chapters examine how girls and boys differ mentally and physically at birth, through developmental differences as they grow and mature. Other chapters explore the real and perceived differences in performance in sports and academics and gender differences in health. Each chapter ends with suggestions on how parents can use the research to help their sons and daughters to develop. This is an accessible book that provides a valuable resource to parents in raising sons and daughters. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

A journalist who writes frequently on children's health and development, Gilbert offers child-rearing advice based on the latest research showing that boys and girls really are different.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060193719
• ISBN 13: 9780060193713
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272