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Psychology » Child Psychology

Most Recommended Books

Mothers and Others by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

“Hrdy is an evolutionary anthropologist and her research challenges the widely held view that the nuclear family is the traditional or original human family.”

Carol Gilligan, Philosopher

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Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia M Axline

“I like this book because it really resonates in terms of why I do what I do and, particularly, why I am passionate about child and adolescent mental health. The book is all about child therapy and a boy called Dibs who wouldn’t talk and wouldn’t play. He has lots of difficulties and issues, and I think he represents a lot of children with mental health problems who are easily misunderstood. We get very anxious about mental health – and when it comes to children we get deeply, deeply anxious about it.”

Tanya Byron, Psychologist

Read more

The Afterlife is Where We Come From by Alma Gottlieb

“This book is a beautiful and moving account of the relationships between the mothers and children in this community and how close they are, even when childhood is endangered.”

Alison Gopnik, Psychologist

Read more

Browse book recommendations:

Psychology

  • Applied Psychology
  • Autism
  • Child Psychology
  • Mental Health
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Psychology Research
  • Self Help
  • Social Psychology

Find below some of the best books on child psychology ever written, as recommended by some of the greatest experts in the field.

Child psychology, or developmental psychology, is the study of how an individual's cognitive, linguistic, emotional and social skills change and progress over the course of his or her lifetime. Areas of interest in this field include attachment theory, infant perception, the influence of gender and the development of theory of mind.

We've spoken to experts including the clinical psychologist Tanya Byron,  the professor of perinatal psychobiology Vivette Glover and the psychologist and philosopher Alison Gopnik—who argues that children's minds and how they develop can provide insight into profound philosophical questions—and asked them to recommend the best books on child psychology and their specialist areas of expertise.

    The best books on Children, recommended by Jo Boyden

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    The best books on Children - Pricing the Priceless Child: The Changing Social Value of Children by Viviana A Zelizer

    1

    Pricing the Priceless Child: The Changing Social Value of Children
    by Viviana A Zelizer

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    The best books on Children - Social Development by H. Rudolph Schaffer

    2

    Social Development
    by H. Rudolph Schaffer

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    The best books on Children - The Roads of Chinese Childhood by Charles Stafford

    3

    The Roads of Chinese Childhood
    by Charles Stafford

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    The best books on Children - The Child in the City by Colin Ward

    4

    The Child in the City
    by Colin Ward

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    The best books on Children - The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett

    5

    The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger
    by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett

The best books on Children, recommended by Jo Boyden

We all know how children should be brought up, and rarely question the cultural norms that underly that certainty. But what does that mean for the policies we try to impose on the developing world? Jo Boyden, professor of international development at Oxford University and director of its Young Lives study, picks books that question our assumptions about how to successfully raise a child.

    The best books on Children and their Minds, recommended by Alison Gopnik

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    The best books on Children and their Minds - Imaginary Companions and the Children who Create Them by Marjorie Taylor

    1

    Imaginary Companions and the Children who Create Them
    by Marjorie Taylor

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    The best books on Children and their Minds - The People in the Playground by Iona Opie

    2

    The People in the Playground
    by Iona Opie

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    The best books on Children and their Minds - The Child's Discovery of the Mind by Janet Astington

    3

    The Child's Discovery of the Mind
    by Janet Astington

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    The best books on Children and their Minds - The Afterlife is Where We Come From by Alma Gottlieb

    4

    The Afterlife is Where We Come From
    by Alma Gottlieb

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    The best books on Children and their Minds - Mothers and Others by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

    5

    Mothers and Others
    by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

The best books on Children and their Minds, recommended by Alison Gopnik

Author and psychology professor, Alison Gopnik, tells us what’s going on in children’s minds – and that it’s a lot more than we may think

    The best books on Child Psychotherapy, recommended by Judith Edwards

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    The best books on Child Psychotherapy - Narrative of a Child Analysis by Melanie Klein

    1

    Narrative of a Child Analysis
    by Melanie Klein

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    The best books on Child Psychotherapy - The Psychoanalytic Treatment of Children by Anna Freud

    2

    The Psychoanalytic Treatment of Children
    by Anna Freud

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    The best books on Child Psychotherapy - Playing and Reality by Donald Winnicott

    3

    Playing and Reality
    by Donald Winnicott

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    The best books on Child Psychotherapy - Live Company by Anne Alvarez

    4

    Live Company
    by Anne Alvarez

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    The best books on Child Psychotherapy - A Question of Technique by Monica Lanyado and Anne Horne

    5

    A Question of Technique
    by Monica Lanyado and Anne Horne

The best books on Child Psychotherapy, recommended by Judith Edwards

The Consultant Psychotherapist at The Tavistock Clinic explains the history of Child Psychotherapy and walks us through the five books that have influenced her most

    The best books on Gender and Human Nature, recommended by Carol Gilligan

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    The best books on Gender and Human Nature - The Feeling of What Happens by Antonio Damasio

    1

    The Feeling of What Happens
    by Antonio Damasio

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    The best books on Gender and Human Nature - Deep Secrets by Niobe Way

    2

    Deep Secrets
    by Niobe Way

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    The best books on Gender and Human Nature - Mothers and Others by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

    3

    Mothers and Others
    by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

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    The best books on Gender and Human Nature - The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    4

    The Scarlet Letter
    by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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    The best books on Gender and Human Nature - Living in Denial by Kari Marie Norgaard

    5

    Living in Denial
    by Kari Marie Norgaard

The best books on Gender and Human Nature, recommended by Carol Gilligan

The idea that girls are emotional and “boys don’t cry” is ridiculous, says the feminist and psychologist. She tells us about books that debunk the gender myths that continue to restrict and distort our lives.

    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health, recommended by Tanya Byron

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    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health - Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia M Axline

    1

    Dibs in Search of Self
    by Virginia M Axline

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    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health - The Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison

    2

    The Unquiet Mind
    by Kay Redfield Jamison

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    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health - Portraits of the Mind by Carl Schoonover

    3

    Portraits of the Mind
    by Carl Schoonover

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    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

    4

    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    by Oliver Sacks

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    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health - No Fear by Tim Gill

    5

    No Fear
    by Tim Gill

The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health, recommended by Tanya Byron

Clinical psychologist, author and broadcaster discusses the stigmas attached to mental health problems, and asks whether, as a society, we are really doing what’s best for our children

    The best books on Life Before Birth – And Life After It, recommended by Vivette Glover

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    The best books on Life Before Birth – And Life After It - Love at Goon Park by Deborah Blum

    1

    Love at Goon Park
    by Deborah Blum

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    The best books on Life Before Birth – And Life After It - The Social Baby by Lynne Murray, Liz Andrews

    2

    The Social Baby
    by Lynne Murray, Liz Andrews

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    The best books on Life Before Birth – And Life After It - A Child Is Born by Lennart Nilson, Lars Hamberger

    3

    A Child Is Born
    by Lennart Nilson, Lars Hamberger

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    The best books on Life Before Birth – And Life After It - Life In The Womb by Peter Nathanielsz

    4

    Life In The Womb
    by Peter Nathanielsz

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    The best books on Life Before Birth – And Life After It - The Fetal Matrix by Peter Gluckman, Mark Hanson

    5

    The Fetal Matrix
    by Peter Gluckman, Mark Hanson

The best books on Life Before Birth – And Life After It, recommended by Vivette Glover

The professor of perinatal psychobiology at Imperial College, London tells us how our understanding of foetal development and the importance of mother-child bonding has changed in recent decades

    The best books on Play, recommended by Dorothy Singer

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    The best books on Play - A Dynamic Theory of Personality by Kurt Lewin

    1

    A Dynamic Theory of Personality
    by Kurt Lewin

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    The best books on Play - Childhood and Society by Erik H Erikson

    2

    Childhood and Society
    by Erik H Erikson

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    The best books on Play - Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood by Jean Piaget

    3

    Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood
    by Jean Piaget

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    The best books on Play - Psychotherapy With Children by Frederick H Allen

    4

    Psychotherapy With Children
    by Frederick H Allen

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    The best books on Play - Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia M Axline

    5

    Dibs in Search of Self
    by Virginia M Axline

The best books on Play, recommended by Dorothy Singer

Play is a vital learning experience. But not all play is equal. Some helps children develop their imagination and learn cooperative behaviour. Some doesn’t. The Yale psychologist explains all

    The best books on Understanding Infants, recommended by Tobias Hecht

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    The best books on Understanding Infants - Tired of Weeping by Jónína Einarsdóttir

    1

    Tired of Weeping
    by Jónína Einarsdóttir

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    The best books on Understanding Infants - The Afterlife is Where We Come From by Alma Gottlieb

    2

    The Afterlife is Where We Come From
    by Alma Gottlieb

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    The best books on Understanding Infants - Anthropology and Child Development by Robert A LeVine and Rebecca S New (ed)

    3

    Anthropology and Child Development
    by Robert A LeVine and Rebecca S New (ed)

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    The best books on Understanding Infants - Our Babies, Ourselves by Meredith F Small

    4

    Our Babies, Ourselves
    by Meredith F Small

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    The best books on Understanding Infants - The Evolution of Childhood by Melvin Konner

    5

    The Evolution of Childhood
    by Melvin Konner

The best books on Understanding Infants, recommended by Tobias Hecht

The anthropologist explains how infants are socially aware and why behaviour thought inevitable in some cultures, such as tantrums, can be uncommon elsewhere

    The best books on Essentialism, recommended by Susan Gelman

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    The best books on Essentialism - The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould

    1

    The Mismeasure of Man
    by Stephen Jay Gould

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    The best books on Essentialism - The Bad Seed by William March

    2

    The Bad Seed
    by William March

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    The best books on Essentialism - How Pleasure Works by Paul Bloom

    3

    How Pleasure Works
    by Paul Bloom

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    The best books on Essentialism - The Edge of Islam by Janet McIntosh

    4

    The Edge of Islam
    by Janet McIntosh

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    The best books on Essentialism - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

    5

    Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
    by Carol Dweck

The best books on Essentialism, recommended by Susan Gelman

Putting people and things into categories is something we all do. It’s a useful shortcut but reveals biases. And it plays a role in everything from ethnic violence to childhood development, as psychologist Susan Gelman explains.

    The best books on Boys and Toxic Masculinity, recommended by Sue Palmer

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    The best books on Boys and Toxic Masculinity - Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph

    1

    Raising Boys
    by Steve Biddulph

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    The best books on Boys and Toxic Masculinity - The Essential Difference by Simon Baron-Cohen

    2

    The Essential Difference
    by Simon Baron-Cohen

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    The best books on Boys and Toxic Masculinity - The Nurture Assumption by Judith Rich Harris

    3

    The Nurture Assumption
    by Judith Rich Harris

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    The best books on Boys and Toxic Masculinity - A Mind So Rare by Merlin Donald

    4

    A Mind So Rare
    by Merlin Donald

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    The best books on Boys and Toxic Masculinity - Creating Ever-cool by Gene Del Vecchio

    5

    Creating Ever-cool
    by Gene Del Vecchio

The best books on Boys and Toxic Masculinity, recommended by Sue Palmer

The child development expert Sue Palmer explains why modern life is making boys more sad, isolated and materialistic.

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