Examines such areas as: the texts written and read to children; the multifarious ways childhood has been considered, shaped and schooled through literacy practices; and the hitherto ignored role of women educators in early childhood across all classes. 'The quality of the chapters is uniformly high, and they are wide-ranging, interesting and informative. This is a very successful book, packed with insight...' - The National Literacy Trust's 1997 International Annotated Bibliography of Books on Literacy.