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edited by Neal Halfon, Kathryn Taaffe McLearn, and Mark A. Schuster,448 pp, $24, ISBN 0-521-01264-3, New York, NY, Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003;157:493-494.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Via a combination of cohesively analyzed original data (from the Commonwealth Survey of Parents with Young Children) and review of current research, the authors provide an insightful and well-written account of social, psychological, economic, and societal variables affecting parent-child relationships and outcomes. The book is divided into 4 parts. The first section, "Conditions of Families With Young Children," covers resources devoted to child rearing by families and society and the challenges of large family size, low income, and, above all, the disproportionately small allocation of governmental resources to young children. A chapter called "Preparing for Parenthood: Who's Ready, Who's Not?" addresses the impact of pregnancy intention on child and family outcomes. The effects of childbirth and parent training classes enjoy particular attention (mixed but generally favorable results), as does the influence of social support networks (generally positive, although kinship networks do not always prompt positive parenting practices, eg, breastfeeding, reading . . . [Full Text of this Article]