Gerald M Fenichel Saunders/Elsevier, 2009, 432 pages, 6th edition, price $109, ISBN: 978-1-4160-6185-4

I am delighted to review Dr Fenichel's 6th edition of Clinical Pediatric Neurology, A Signs and Symptoms Approach. On a personal level, I would say that I found my very first copy, which I purchased 20 years ago during my first year of Child Neurology fellowship at Duke University, to be thoroughly enjoyable; someone else most likely enjoyed it more, as my book promptly disappeared soon after purchase during rounds.

Dr Fenichel's book is comprehensive, practical and easily readable. It is particularly useful in that the 18 chapters are organized in terms of the common signs and symptoms encountered in pediatric neurology, giving the reader direction in evaluation and management. Each chapter is divided into subheadings with brief discussions of the disorder, listing its clinical features, diagnosis and management. A fairly extensive list of references is provided at the end of each chapter. The numerous color-coded algorithms, diagrams and tables lend for easy perusal in a busy practice or during teaching rounds. Should one however desire a more in-depth discussion of therapy, one would have to refer to heavier texts such as Kenneth Swaiman's two-volume text, Pediatric Neurology: Principles and Practice. There are also illustrative neuroimaging studies in some chapters, but then again, if one would like to see more examples, one may perhaps choose to reference Barkovich's text on Pediatric Neuroimaging. The addition of more pathological studies would have made this resource more complete.

I would suggest this book as the basic text for pediatric residents training in Child Neurology and even for beginners in Child Neurology fellowship. The prose is concise, lucid and easily understood, making it less intimidating than the field it discusses. One of the strongest suits of the book, which is invaluable, is that it is heavily laced with the author's practical advice accumulated over decades of experience in the practice of Child Neurology. This feature is irreplaceable.

I suggest that a smaller pocket-sized version that could be carried around during rounds would be extremely useful if published. The online full text is also very useful for cross-referencing. This book is a valuable addition to the library of any professional who deals with neurological diseases in children.