Now in a revised and expanded second edition, this indispensable text helps practitioners apply the latest developmental knowledge to their work with children and families. The book begins with a framework for understanding the transactions between individual development and the child's wider environment, emphasizing the crucial role of attachment. Key developmental processes and tasks from infancy through middle childhood are then discussed in paired chapters that respectively address how children of different ages typically feel, think, and behave, and how to intervene effectively with those who are having difficulties. Ideally structured for classroom use, the second edition has been updated throughout to reflect current research, practice advances, and policy issues. Included are an important new chapter on the developing brain and expanded coverage of applications for child care and school settings.