Self-help books — Little kids, big questions: Practical answers to the difficult questions children ask about life by J. Craig
File, Nancy
Craig, J. (1993). Little kids, big questions: Practical answers to the difficult questions children ask about life. New York: Hearst Books, 204 pp., $12.00.
Sample questions and answers about topics such as sex, death, divorce, prejudice, violence, and money are described in this book. Families who are struggling with ways to discuss complex topics may find useful suggestions for conveying information on a child’s level. The material is generally developmentally appropriate. However, the situations and explanations do reflect middle-class values. The emphasis is on children as question-askers and parents as information-givers. Parents are encouraged to ask questions of their children primarily to find out what they are “really asking.” The theoretical descriptions of young children’s abilities are based on a traditional deficit view that is contradicted by recent research and thought. For example, the author suggests that children are incapable of empathy before age 8, a view only supported by a narrow definition of that concept.
Nancy File, PhD University of New Hampshire Durham, NH
Copyright American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Apr 1995
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved
