When I first read the title I somehow expected a new guide to paediatric pain relief, but very soon discovered that this was not the book’s primary focus. Bringing pain relief to children: treatment approaches delves mainly into service provision and how to efficiently supply pain management to children in several diverse settings. As the editors boldly state in their preface, it “puts pediatric pain in its place”.

The table of contents seemed promising, with chapters proceeding quite naturally from hospital-based pain …