This edition, quite expectedly displays Dr Ranjit’s enormous clinical experience as a critical care expert. This edition has 83 chapters, well arranged in 17 sections and an Appendix dealing with protocols for procedures and drug doses. The book covers most of the important topics, but the emphasis is on Intensive Care; and several aspects of emergency care have been left out. A chapter on emergency triage and recognition of a ‘critically ill child’ would have been more appropriate as the first chapter. Chapters on neonatal emergencies, febrile encephalopathy, acute abdomen, excessive crying, acute heart failure and organization of PICU are also missing. A strong point of the book is a very well written section on infections. Strength of the book is uniformity of the presentation, and a large number of figures and illustrations also add to easy readability. The approach and format is user friendly. Bulleted points and boxes for easy reference make it attractive to those looking for quick information. Printing, paper quality, clarity of figures and photographs is good. The book is a good refresher for pediatricians. I would recommend it to residents looking for a quick overview of the common topics in pediatric critical care.

Understanding Pediatric ECG has been a challenge for most practicing pediatricians, owing to age related and as well as diverse clinical conditions seen in pediatric population. This book is a welcome addition, written in a concise manner. The basic concepts have been well explained. The examples have been carefully selected and are true representations of the condition. Text accompanying the ECG is descriptive and easy to understand. I also appreciate the design and the size of the book; it is small enough to be carried around for day-to-day working. A chapter on representative ECGs in congenital heart detects would have made this book wholesome and more useful.

The book, aimed to serve as a text book for undergraduate medical students, has 30 chapters contributed by 27 eminent pediatricians. The book is quite comprehensive and has particularly exhaustive section on infectious diseases, genetics, neonatology, procedures and instruments, and organ specific disorders. The chapters are written in an easy to understand language and illustrated by good quality photographs.

The authors have not provided the currently recommended WHO growth charts and nomograms for surface area, blood pressure etc, in the book. Surprisingly there are no references at the end of the chapter. Some of the recommendations are not in accordance with Indian Academy of Pediatrics and government recommendations, including those on malaria, acute diarrhea and severe acute malnutrition. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for first 4-6 months. It is hoped that the author will update the book to current recommendations before the next print.

The quality of production is excellent and it is well illustrated with text boxes, tables, algorithms and clinical photographs. All in all, it is a comprehensive treatment of childhood disorders in a very reader friendly format.