For your shelf

Reviewed by Marian Whitehead, language and early years consultant

Sally Jenkinson has written an impassioned and poetic book imbued with the philosophy and practice of the Steiner Waldorf kindergarten movement.

Childhood play is both the subject and the presiding spirit of the book. The early chapters provide a useful historical overview of theories about play, as well as discussions of its emotional, social and therapeutic aspects.

The author's approach to the present state of play in children's lives is less sanguine, and chapters six and seven identify a sustained attack on childhood play from formal education, mass marketing and television.

Television is blamed for something that is often referred to here as 'the hijacking of childhood', and a substantial amount of American evidence for this belief is presented in the main text and the appendices. Many readers may wish to question this totally negative view of television viewing, particularly the reliance on culture-specific claims from the USA.

But this is also a book of enchanting photos and vignettes of young children at play, so do enjoy the account of the 'wedding dress den' and the old Suffolk recipe for 'preserving children'. Just imagine how this would go down with Ofsted, QCA and even your local EYDCP!