The Play's the Thing: Teachers' Roles in Children's Play ... (ISBN 0807731714)

Examination of the roles adults could (and should) play:
This Jones and Reynolds book has become a classic in early childhood circles. It examines the various roles adults should take as they support children's play. The authors first describe what play is, and what we need to know to be able to support it. Written in a conversational style, they offer many specific examples of children's play followed by their wise analyses of what was occurring for the child as well as what the adult was (or wasn't) doing to support, extend and nurture the play and learning. There are other books that spend more time describing play - this one gets right to the heart of their sub-title "Teachers' Roles in Children's Play". I've read and re-read it, and shared it with many pre-service Early Childhood Development students to help them see the range of possibilities that they can employ in their work with young children.