I used the book What to Expect When You're Expecting when I was pregnant with my son. I found it to be very helpful in most aspects of my pregnancy. I had a lot of health issues during pregnancy, and this book provided details of those. It didn't provide extensive details, but it was a good place to start. I can remember having something strange happen, and getting my book out and looking it up. Never did I have an issue that wasn't covered. The only down side to this book is that it covers so much information, some issues will not be covered to the degree someone might need for it to be.

I do know that things have changed since then, and there are many other great books out there that are related to pregnancy. A few of those include:

The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy is a book for people who tend to worry to much. It acts more like a helpful, comforting companion rather than a book that tells you everything that can go wrong.
The Mother of All Pregnancy Books is one of the best to tackle any issues to do with pregnancy and postpartum.
The Diaper Diaries is great for issues after the baby is born. It is very entertaining and helpful, but not for some more serious issues with Motherhood.
Expect the Best: Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, and After Pregnancy is the best comprehensive book related to eating and nutrient of expecting mothers. This includes, like the title suggest, before, during and after pregnancy.
There is a What to Eat When You're Expecting, a companion to the ‘What to Expect When You're Expecting’, but the ‘Expect the Best’ has 5 star reviews with Amazon.

As far things that will be harmful to the baby and a risk, these will be covered in ‘What to Expect when You're Expecting’ and ‘The Mother of All Pregnancy Books’.

Something I found very helpful when I was pregnant with my son was the books I received from my OBGYN and my pediatrician. These were awesome books and the best part, they was free. If your friend’s doctors do not have these books available. I’d suggest you looking at some used bookstores, missions or Goodwills. These are usually easy to find. However, I would like to point out to look at the publishing dates on used pregnancy books. Because these information changes and gets updated regularly due to new medical advances and studies, it is best to use a current edition. Look for an edition that is published by The American Pediatrics Association. I used this one the most after my son was born, due to the fact that I trusted the source and it was current.

The video gives some reviews of some books I am not familiar with that sound really great. The Mayo Clinic Book would be great as a trusted medical guide, but still shouldn't be used over a doctor's opinion.

I would recommend ''Babies Don't Come With an Instruction Manual'' It's a thorough book covering a lot of things that may come up with a newborn that no one thought to mention to you.

There's one for dad that's good too. It's called ''Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads'' and it by passes the stuff that is distinctly mom related and makes the book more dad friendly.

Plus I would advise the new mom to spend some relaxing moments in wonderful books which will be with her for the next few years and ones she will remember fondly when that little one goes off to college:

''On the Night You Were Born ''
''Goodnight Moon''
''Mama Do You Love Me?''

Though "What to Expect when You're Expecting" is referred to as "the Bible" of all things pregnancy, I found that I preferred others.

"Sprout Right" by Lianne Phillipson-Webb is a great resource when it comes to healthy eating during pregnancy and healthy eating for you and the baby after birth. With in depth and easy to understand information on the necessary vitamins and nutrients for the baby in-utero (as well as your needs as a pregnant mama!), this book also offers recipes for homemade baby food after birth. It's an organic, healthy approach and makes eating healthy very easy.

In terms of child rearing, I find that Dr Sears has an excellent, holistic approach. His book, "The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two" offers a cheerful, appreciative approach to parenting and gives easy solutions to many parenting issues. It's a good way of understanding your baby's needs and how to fit those needs in to a busy schedule in a way that benefits both you and your baby.

Congratulations to your friend on her pregnancy. You will be a great resource for her!

All the best.