This book paints a picture of the position of French children in the Middle Ages, supported by a large number of quotations from historical French documents. Several domains of children's lives are touched upon, for instance baptism, mortality, clothing and punishment, leading to a discussion of the role of the children in the family as well as in society. The children, not being the central theme of the documents themselves are nevertheless, in the author's opinion, the main concern of this book: though often considered "small grown-ups" by society, the world usually regarded them as what they were: children.