Explored images that young children construct of literacy in their lives, both inside and outside of school. Analysis of the drawings of 48 children in grades 1-3 revealed a shift in the children's images of themselves in relation to literacy with each grade level. The influence of home and family on literacy behaviors was also noted. (Author/TJQ)

This study of 16 Singapore child care centers found that children spent most of their time engaged in adult-led group, cognitive, and daily routine activities. Findings also suggest that good quality centers offer a variety of cognitively stimulating activities, such as literacy activities, academic and problem-solving tasks, and verbal…

This study examined the relation between weather and mothers' perceptions of children's moods. Thirty-three mothers rated their children for 30 days, and these scores were examined for their relation to six weather variables (barometric pressure, humidity, temperature, sunshine hours, precipitation, wind) and daily changes in variables. Results…

This study investigated the effects of prop realism on the play of 24 preschoolers. Observations of play sessions revealed that highly realistic props and low-realism props elicited equal amounts of group dramatic play. However, low- realism props generated greater diversity of play themes, more fantasy role enactments, and more nonintended use of…

Reviews Click's book, which explains the development of children during middle childhood; discusses the role of the many individuals involved in a child care facility; introduces developmentally appropriate practices and programs for cultural and linguistic diversity; and describes how to implement a variety of activities. Finds that despite…

Reviews Fraser's book, which relates the author's work at Douglas College, New Westminster, British Columbia, and three child care settings to interpret the Reggio Emilia approach for Canadian settings. Notes that the book reminds readers that what is missing from prescribed curricula is the relationship of learners to the material; in this book,…

Reviews Newman's book, a play-oriented guide for parents of preschool children with disabilities. Recommends the book as a small step in fostering parental perspectives on school readiness issues and as one way of helping children by encouraging parents to adopt a teacher's stance. (TJQ)

Reviews Pianta and Cox's book, which covers the significance of early school transitions; the ecology of transitions into and through kindergarten; facilitating transitions for children from diverse backgrounds; and implications of the kindergarten transition. Cautions that while the book provides a strong empirical foundation, it does not provide…

Describes experiences of two early childhood teacher educators during their self-study of the design and implementation of intensive summer courses focused on preschool education in a diverse society. Notes that courses incorporated active learning principles to facilitate reflective teaching and that course participants identified components that…

Reviews current thinking about the optimal organization and delivery of child care and other family support programs, focusing on how child care services in selected Canadian provinces and other countries have been coordinated with other services. Presents theoretical and conceptual frameworks informing current thinking about organization and…

Examined views of Singapore parents from eight day care centers towards day care quality and used the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale to compare parental and professional views of quality. Found that parents rated care and safety provisions as more important than educational programs and almost half the parents selected centers based on…

Describes the design and findings of the Victoria Day Care Research Project. Concludes that early day care experiences and family environments were associated with verbal abilities in early childhood and with competencies in early and late adolescence. Found that children from higher-resource families were most likely to have higher-quality day…

Examines issues of culture and identity, Canadian history and identity, and the relevance of these concepts as a curricular theme for early childhood preservice teachers and for young children. Compares the early childhood cultural experiences in Canada, Israel, and Britain. Delineates implications of understanding of the role of Canadian culture…

Maintains that Baxter and Read's book deals with controversial and contentious issues in a proactive manner and effectively challenges and stimulates attitudes, beliefs, and approaches to working with children with special needs. Notes that the use of labels shows how entrenched professionals have become in a deficit-oriented model to describe…

Maintains that Pica's resource book is an excellent guide for educators seeking new movement activities to perform with young children. Asserts that the organization of the book offers clear directions for the activities and proposes guidelines to transform the activities in interesting ways. Notes that the book sometimes does not provide specific…