By 'The Magic Years' Selma Fraiberg denotes that early period when the child gradually develops self-awareness and learns to differentiate between himself and the objective world, and when he slowly abandons his belief in his own omnipotence and substitutes reason for magical thinking. In the words of its writer this book 'tells the story of personality development during the first five years of life and discusses some of the typical problems that emerge with each developmental stage'. Written especially for parents of 'normal' children, it offers methods for assessment and management of characteristic problems of three periods of early childhood: the first eighteen months, eighteen months to three years, and three years to six years. By this division into phases, Mrs. Fraiberg emphasizes that the child's behavior in one phase may reflect the inevitable struggles which actually further his endeavors to meet the demands of progressive forces, while in the next phase this same behavior may indicate an impediment to his continuing progress. The