I'm not a big fan of the "what to expect" books, personally. The best book I actually got was from State Farm, for new parents, but I'm not sure if they give it out anymore. Are you a parent? Write your own book! Make a little book, complete with drawings or photos or something, of the best advice you've learned being a parent. Or even poll other parents, and use that! For example, books never told me how to handle it when my 3 month old barfed on a complete stranger- but my mom got me through it!

While this may not be exactly what you are looking for I would highly recommend reading an introductory level developmental psychology textbook. You get a lot of information that is based on research rather than conjecture and opinion. Also their is a lot of good information in them as far as when to expect children to reach certain milestones and also things to look out for. Many of the books even offer research based advice on parenting styles.

I would recommend the tried and true Dr. Spock. It is updated so it is still relevant. I took it everywhere with me when I traveled so I could figure out what to do in any situation. It was a god-send. My kids are now 17 and 20 which is staggering to believe.