Children are not empty canvasesawaiting adult input; rather, they come into the world with inherent traitsencoded in their DNA. As they develop, these unique characteristics graduallyreveal themselves. In A Child at a Time: Understanding Temperament, Loraine D. Cook explainsthe importance of teachers and parents understanding a child's uniquecharacteristics (their temperament), reflected in their behaviour and reactionstyles. The author questions the conventional one-size-fits-all approach toeducation to which many educators and parents adhere. By exploring the conceptsof a poorness-of-fit and a goodness-of-fit environment, Cook illustrates how achild's surroundings can influence the expression of their temperament. Over severalchapters, the author discusses parents'and teachers' interactions with their children and how such interactions canaffect the quality of the home and school environments in which childrendevelop. These interactions are not only impacted by children's temperamentsbut also by the characteristics of the adults involved. If adults fail to account for temperament in managing children'sbehaviours, then the nurturing environment for children in the home and theclassroom may be inundated with frustrated parents, teachers and children, potentiallycompromising children's social, emotional and academic growth. By helpingparents and teachers understand children's behavioural patterns, adults candevelop a more holistic environment conducive to their children's well-being. In the book's concluding chapters, Cook discusses the INSIGHTS programme, which is rooted in temperament theories, and its outcomes in Jamaica. This programme offers customized behaviour-managementstrategies for parents and teachers based on children's temperaments andemphasizes early intervention by teaching conflict-management skills tochildren as young as five. A Child at a Time isa call to educators, parents and policymakers to recognize that children's individual differences areimportant, particularly in their formative years. By reading this book, parentsand educators can gain valuable insights into children's behaviours and reactions, thereby improving their approach to behaviour management.