Will van der Hart is an Anglican minister and national speaker of rising repute, and his wife a key partner in this work. The book spans conception to the first year of a first child's life. The van der Harts contextualise each time period biblically, give some practical pointers and vignettes from interviews with Christian parents of very young children, and pose challenging questions to be worked through as a couple. It was somehow written while their daughter was very young, so the issues were fresh in their minds, and there is little waffle.

They are clear that reading this book will not prepare a couple to become parents, only give a blueprint for working through issues with God. The section on creative use of time with God, rather than expecting regular quiet times to proceed as normal, was very helpful. I would highly recommend this gem to all Christians hoping to become parents, going through pregnancy, or who have an infant already. It would make an ideal gift, even to non-Christians, as this can be a time of surprising spiritual openness.

Anna Reynolds is a young doctor in Winchester, and she and Mike have recently become parents.