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A thoughtful collection of some 900 excerpts, from one line to half a page, arranged under 150 subject headings, and representing the insights of thinkers across a broad span of times, places, and perspectives. The quotations were chosen to enable the reader to understand childhood more profoundly and intimately--beyond the limitations imposed by modern child-care theories. Annotation(c) 2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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Library Journal Review

Of making quotation books there is no end. Do we need another on children? Never mind. This is not a quotation dictionary, but ``a historical collection of observations, opinions, and reminiscences'' drawn primarily from the autobiographies of some 380 writers, most of them prominent in Western European culture and most from the 19th and 20th centuries. African Americans are included; East Asians and Native Americans are not. The selections, found under 168 headings (e.g., ``Boredom,'' ``Solitude''), are not the usual one-liners or bon mots; most consist of about 150 words of thoughtful prose. An index to authors is included. A splendid sampler for browsing, albeit with limited reference utility.-- Joan H. Worley, Maryville Coll. Lib., Tenn. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

The authors have taken upon themselves a formidable task, collecting hundreds of quotations about childhood. Their purpose was to produce a "wide-ranging source, not of information, but of knowledge and thought." The premise is that despite the fact that we now know so much about child psychology, our children have become a "problem." The Weisses feel that all of us are authorities on childhood, because after all, "we were all children once." With that in mind, they have selected a variety of observations, opinions, and reminiscences about childhood to "enable the reader to understand childhood more profoundly and intimately." Not the usual collection of familiar quotations, the selection is erudite and will appeal to the well-read and literate. The quotations are arranged under 158 topics ranging from Authority, Brothers and Sisters, Fear, Guilt, and Morality to School, Growing Up, and Humiliation. Under the topics, quotations are arranged alphabetically by the author's name with the source of the quotation. Cross-references guide the reader to related topics. More than 330 authors are represented, both famous and unknown. Most of the selections are from literary works, particularly autobiographies, memoirs, diaries, and correspondence. The range of authors is wide: St. Thomas Aquinas, Bruno Bettelheim, Agatha Christie, Robert Frost, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell, Richard Wright. There is an index of authors at the back of the book. The excerpts vary from one line to half a page. It is difficult to envision how useful this book would be as a library acquisition. Public libraries with limited budgets must rely on standard books of general quotations. The number of requests for quotations about childhood most likely would not justify purchasing a specialized work. Libraries serving colleges of education might select this title. Parents would benefit from some of the advice and insights, but it is doubtful that many library patrons would seek this type of book. (Reviewed Jan. 1, 1992)