As far as textbooks go this is a pretty good one. I really like the inside cover, which lays out a lot of the stages that children go through, as well as different theorists & their theories. It is a great place to turn to when you are stuck trying to figure out an answer. The book is very well laid out & fairly easy to understand. The only thing I don't like about this book is that is skims over so many things. I really feel that if you don't know a lot of background psychology information a lot of the text is going to go over your head.