Overview
Take a global tour of childhood that spans 50 countries and explore everyday questions such as 'Why does love matter?', 'How do children learn right from wrong'? and 'Why do adolescent relationships feel like a matter of life and death?' Combining psychology, anthropology, and evolution, you will learn about topics such as language, morality, empathy, creativity, learning and cooperation. Discover how children's skills develop, how they adapt to solve challenges, and what makes you, you. Divided into three chronological sections – early years, middle childhood, and adolescence – this book is enriched with a full set of pedagogical features, including key points to help you retain the main takeaway of each section, space for recap, a glossary of key terms, learning outcomes and chapter summaries. Embedded videos and animations throughout bring ideas to life and explain the methods researchers use to reveal the secrets of child development.
Full Product Details
Author: Paul Ibbotson (The Open University)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 20.20cm
, Height: 1.60cm
, Length: 25.30cm
Weight: 0.720kg
ISBN: 9781009591270
ISBN 10: 1009591274
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 12 June 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
'The textbook adopts an interdisciplinary approach to child development, offering broad coverage of topics, domains, and developmental periods, and highlighting global perspectives. It is written in an engaging manner and is structured around fascinating key questions designed to spark students' curiosity. This is further supported by audiovisual clips, key points, summaries, recaps, consolidations, graphs, tables, illustrations, and useful examples.' Marina Bazhydai, Lancaster University 'A brilliant synthesis of evolutionary, anthropological, and psychological insights into childhood. Ibbotson writes with clarity and warmth, bringing global diversity to the forefront. A great read for anyone interested in what it means to grow up human.' Gül Deniz Salalı, University College London 'This text is scholarly, well informed, and timely. The strength is that it addresses the elements of child development which other texts do not. A child's moral and emotional development is unpicked and explained with global cultural understandings of how children grow, develop, and adapt. Another feature of the text is that Ibbotson draws on the voice of the child and young persons in a way where their views are heard and misconceptions challenged. This text is highly recommended for undergraduate courses not only for content, but also because the structure draws out key points enabling the reader to reflect on the content.' Gaye Tyler-Merrick, Nottingham Trent University 'Ibbotson promises that this new text will nurture your curiosity about how children around the world grow, develop, and adapt, and it certainly delivers! With many years of experience teaching child and educational psychology at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, I have encountered numerous texts on child development. However, this one is truly original. With its innovative structure, framing key skills and accomplishments from birth to adolescence as questions throughout each section, it offers a fresh and engaging approach that captivates the reader from the outset. Thoughtfully organized and highly accessible, it presents a clear and insightful narrative on contemporary perspectives in child development. This book will be invaluable to students, educators, and professionals alike. An enjoyable and refreshing read.' Justine Howard, Swansea University 'A great textbook. It stands out in many ways: beautifully written, has an inclusive conversational approach, reframes the content around a set of questions, and highlights similarities and differences in child development across different contexts and cultures. I'm so impressed, and I'll definitely be recommending it to my own students.' Christopher Jarrold, University of Bristol 'This is the textbook to go for if you are ever wondering why young children are becoming who they are in our society and how parents, peers, teachers, and the wider community shape a child's life in a complex yet fascinating human development journey. The interdisciplinary approach brings new insights into understanding child development from integrated psychological, anthropological, and evolutional perspectives.' Xiaofei Qi, Durham University
Author Information
Paul Ibbotson Ph.D. is Senior Lecturer in Child Development at The Open University, United Kingdom. He teaches, researches and writes about how children think and behave, with a particular interest in language and cognitive development. Author of numerous scientific papers, popular articles, and books.
