Roopnarine, J: International Perspectives on Children's Play

This delightful book gives a glimpse into the rich and diverse play and playful activities of children across developing, recently developed and developed societies.

Analysing children's play across many different cultural communities around the globe, each chapter discusses children's play as an activity important for formal and informal education, mental health and childhood well-being, and children's hobbies and past-times. Traditional, modern, and postmodern play forms are discussed and probed for their meaning within a contemporary global community. Richly illustrated throughout with vignettes, the book encourages you to critically evaluate the functions that play serves for indigenous cultures and the problems that arise due to the globalization of educational and social resources.

International Perspectives on Play is compelling reading for students studying play within early years, early childhood or childhood studies or playwork courses.

Jaipaul L. Roopnarine is Jack Reilly Professor of Child and Family Studies and Director Jack Reilly Institute for Early Childhood at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA. Michael M. Patte is Professor of Education at Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, USA. James E. Johnson is Professor of Early Childhood Education at The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA. David Kuschner is Associate Professor Emeritus of Early Childhood Education at the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

This welcome volume brings together new scholarship on culturally situated play in 16 diverse global contexts. The child rights-based foundation of the volume and nuanced perspectives are a powerful counter-narrative to the narrowing construction of childhood to one of academic readiness and test scores. The authors' collective narratives and research will contribute to many disciplines concerned about children, childhoods, culture and policy.