Book Reviews Understanding Early Childhood: issues and controversies

The last two decades have seen many technological changes, social factors and global issues impacting on the lives of children and families. This book succinctly explores issues and controversies the author advocates are critical to a construction of childhood in the twenty-first century. The views presented have been shaped by an experienced teacher and competent educator who considers early childhood through a critical lens. The author also acknowledges how ideas and perspectives from her students and, more particularly, mature student learners with whom she has conversed and interacted have influenced her understanding of young children. The book, as the author states, takes a broad perspective of the diverse and challenging contexts in which children grow and change and acknowledges that it is not possible to examine all the ideas, both micro and macro, that may be of significance when exploring factors that may impact on children’s early learning and development. Families and children in poverty and the dilemmas associated with the provision of more formal childcare services are two such issues that are not examined within focused chapters but are acknowledged as issues impacting on children’s lives. A contribution to the history of educational ideas by philosophers and educationalists is also identified but not explored