Lived Spaces of Infant-Toddler Education and Care

`The strength of this manuscript is the international gathering of studies on infants and toddlers in ECEC, where the children are considered active participants and agents in their own lives. The chapters in the book bring fore both the adults' and the children's perspectives and most valuable are the efforts to bring these perspectives together, presented and discussed in projects and programs conducted in early childhood practices. Methodologies used in the studies described in each chapter welcome a broad spectrum of methods for data collection and analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative ways to present observations are used, which altogether give the reader a comprehensive view of the toddlers' lives in childcare. Camilla Björklund, Department of Education, Communication and Learning, University of Gothenburg, Sweden `The strongest aspect of the work is the confidence shown in each chapter. The authors have been supported through a process of peer support and dialogue to showcase a specialization. Each contributor takes a specific viewpoint based on well-established theoretical or philosophical perspectives and explores concepts and ideas deeply and in detail in relation to a closely observed interaction or experience from the everyday life of a young child in contemporary early childhood settings. The focus on infants and toddlers is always a valuable contribution to a marginalized field in early childhood education. The book would be important for any student, lecturer or researcher who wished to proceed in this field. This is the kind of book I would use as a lecturer, I would use chapters as readings for students and it would be highly recommended for researchers. It is a book for University Libraries and would be required reading for anyone with a special interest in young children. It is also interesting reading for anyone who wished to extend their understanding of a specifictheorist. Jane Bone, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia