JAMES DOBSON
Tyndale House, 304 Pages, Hardcover, $25.99

This book follows another Dobson best-seller, Bringing Up Boys, and is intended to be a companion to it. The back cover reads, “Peer pressure. Eating disorders. Decisions about love, romance, and sex. Academic demands. Life goals and how to achieve them. These are just some of the challenges that girls face today—and the age at which they encounter them is getting younger and younger.” Thus parents, educators, and others will profit from this book.

That is not to say that one needn’t read discerningly, as Dobson isn’t a fundamentalist. Also watch for any hints of self-esteem or “self-love” teaching, as it can veer away from what the Bible truly teaches. Nevertheless, Dobson has plenty of instruction to heed in today’s wicked age. He writes, “We should never underestimate its force, which is like a powerful river that carries everything downstream with it. You can and must help your youngsters avoid being swept by the current into unknown waters. Protecting them from its ravages is far easier when they are young, of course. . . . That is why a primary goal of parenting should be to introduce your children to moral and spiritual values during the early years. These underpinnings will help keep them afloat when the floodwaters come in the spring.”

The book doesn’t have an index but does include pages of reference notes, showing that information is well documented. Included is an addendum, “Helpful Resources for Parents.”