This collection of essays reflects the notion that perceptions of children and childhood shape approaches to education and child rearing. The essays include: (1) "The Child Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow," on how children have been regarded throughout recorded history; (2) "Piaget and Montessori in the Classroom," examining the different ways these renowned figures in early childhood education viewed the development and education of young children; (3) "Work Is Hardly Child's Play," on children's play and how it has been conceptualized by different investigators; (4) "Development in Early Childhood," summarizing contemporary scientific knowledge about child growth and development; (5) "Humanizing the Curriculum," on educational reform; (6) "We Can Teach Reading Better," about better understanding of the process of reading; (7) "Resistance to Developmentally Appropriate Practice: A Case Study in Educational Inertia," on the relationship between educational change and educational philosophy; (8) "The Hurried Child: Is Our Impatient Society Depriving Kids of Their Right To Be Children?" about early academic pressure on children; (9) "Overwhelmed at an Early Age," a further discussion of the effects of hurrying children academically; and (10) "Questions Parents Ask," providing answers to frequently asked questions. Eight of the essays include references. (TJQ)

Winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award! Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City. Now, award-winning illustrator Javaka Steptoe's vivid text and bold artwork echoing Basquiat's own introduce young readers to the powerful message that art doesn't always have to be neat or clean—and definitely not inside the lines!—to be beautiful.

In the 1920s, with the end of the revolution, the Soviet government began investing resources and energy into creating a new type of book for the first generation of young Soviet readers. In a sense, these early books for children were the ABCs of Soviet modernity; creatively illustrated and intricately designed, they were manuals and primers that helped the young reader enter the field of politics through literature. Children’s books provided the basic vocabulary and grammar for understanding new, post-revolutionary realities, but they also taught young readers how to perceive modern events and communist practices. Relying on a process of dual-media rendering, illustrated books presented propaganda as a simple, repeatable narrative or verse, while also casting it in easily recognizable graphic images. A vehicle of ideology, object of affection, and product of labour all in one, the illustrated book for the young Soviet reader emerged as an important cultural phenomenon. Communist in its content, it was often avant-gardist in its form. Spotlighting three thematic threads – communist goals, pedagogy, and propaganda – The Pedagogy of Images traces the formation of a mass-modern readership through the creation of the communist-inflected visual and narrative conventions that these early readers were meant to appropriate.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

"A direct, dynamic approach to learning for early childhood." —Karla Bronzynski, First-Grade Teacher Eldora-New Providence School District, IA "A wonderful resource for using photography across all the developmental domains. This very practical and useful book supports all of its activities with sound developmental practices." —Michelle Barnea, Early Childhood Consultant Help young children celebrate themselves while learning through photography! In the second edition of Picture This, the author explores the expanded photography options that are now available for enriching early childhood instruction. Children are thrilled when they see themselves in pictures, and this book shows teachers how to place them at the center of an exciting visual learning process. Written in a user-friendly format and filled with illustrations, the book provides field-tested and developmentally appropriate photography activities across 10 subject areas, including emerging literacy, physical development, sensory exploration, social studies, math/science, and drama. Each activity offers an objective and description and can be adapted for independent exploration, one-on-one instruction, small groups, and family involvement. Three new chapters discuss: Ongoing student assessment, the use of standards, and systematic documentation Activities for children with special needs The use of photography with toddlers Enrich your early childhood curriculum and fully engage young children through the fascinating world of digital photography!

A thoughtful picture book illustrating the power of small acts of kindness, from the award-winning author of Sophie's Squash.

A shocking and extreme interpretation of the father of psychoanalysis.