Reviewed by Marian Whitehead, language and early years consultant The title of the second edition of Julie Fisher's book no longer ends with the question mark found on the first edition: the phrase has become an imperative, as the author returns to her original thesis with conviction and authority.
This book remains a theoretically sound and eminently practical guide for those early years practitioners who aim to work within a child-and learner-centred tradition and have the determination, knowledge and insight to observe, plan and support individual learning.
However, the author has never settled to preaching to the converted, and this second edition is detailed and challenging enough to initiate a new cohort of practitioners into exploring a more developmentally-appropriate curriculum for three-to eight-year-old learners - and even eight-to 18-year-olds!
In this era of the 'one size fits all' curriculum, it is heartening to find books such as this being written and re-written, and it is inspiring to find that a local authority early years adviser is not just 'talking the talk', but 'walking the walk' also.
