Based on Helen F. Neville’s three decades as a pediatric answer nurse and parent educator, Is This a Phase? offers information on the concerns parents express over and over and over again.

With concise descriptions and dozens of charts and graphs that will make it quick and easy to use for both fathers and mothers, Is This a Phase? explains what to expect at every developmental stage between birth and age 6.

Then it walks parents and caregivers through three dozen topics common in the first six years of life: everything from attention span and impulse control to death, divorce, and the red flags that signal reading readiness issues.

The co-author of Parenting Press’s Temperament Tools: Working with Your Child’s Inborn Traits, Neville has been affiliated with Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Oakland, California since 1976. She also has revised Mommy! I Have to Go Potty! for Parenting Press (forthcoming 2009).

Reviews include:
"An authoritative reference covering a broad range of topics in health, behavior, and human needs that every parent needs to know for their child from birth to age six. In Part 1, readers learn about the norms of developmental milestones and childhood behaviors, and the author discusses how those elements affect behaviors within the family. Neville reassures parents when their child is within normal developmental range and alerts them when it is necessary to seek professional help. Part 2, an alphabetical reference for dealing with child development in daily life, guides parents through three dozen topics relevant in the first six years of life. Neville's book is accurate, reliable, and practical, with many charts and graphs that render the information accessible. Recommended for all public libraries."
Library Journal

"Speaks to the whole child, explaining what is special about each age (in mind, body and activities) as well as describing the next phase of development . . . Includes informative and easy-to-read charts."
ForeWord Magazine

"This book is extraordinarily useful. . . the closest thing to an owner's manual for your child that I've found. . . . Did I mention that the book is easy to use? Explanations are clear without being too abbreviated and the author uses a series of readable charts that help you compare child development milestones over time. . .One feature I admire about the book is that it attempts to help parents understand how their own child's temperament might influence developmental milestones."
Grasshopper New Media, a blog for parents

Is This a Phase? is illustrated by Jenny Williams of Wales