This article is written in response to the work of Damien Riggs, providing a critical reading of his analysis of the inherent homophobia and gender normativity present in a selection of sexuality education websites targeted at children. Taking up the productive possibilities of both silences and narrative disruptions, the author examines a moment…

To address the question of musical identity, the research the author mainly draws on takes the form of qualitative, in-depth interviews with people about how music fits into their everyday lives and musical biographies. In this the author adopts a largely biographical and social constructionist perspective, asking people to reflect on important…

Penny Wilson is a playworker--one of a group of professionals who facilitate children's play in adventure playgrounds, parks, and other settings, principally in the United Kingdom. Wilson grew up in the Southeast of England and spent much of her childhood playing on the coast near her family home. She studied illustration in art school, settled in…

Stuart L. Brown is founder of the National Institute for Play, a California-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the notion that play can help transform the lives of individuals, families, schools, and organizations. Trained in general and internal medicine, psychiatry, and clinical research, Brown was a physician in the United States…

This article introduces the concept of "visual voice" to facilitate a critical commentary on current discourses surrounding pupil participation in the design of learning environments for the future. The significance of material and spatial conditions constructing particular views of children and childhood is first discussed through some…

Santino Atem Deng, one of the '"lost" boys from Sudan, recounts his story of trauma and resilience, when as a nine-year-old, he fled from the civil war in his home country of southern Sudan. Separated from his parents, he joined a group of adults who were able to take care of him and other young people as they journeyed to Ethiopia. Deng…

Relates background of the authors and illustrators of "The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot," the children's book that was awarded the 1984 Caldecott Medal. The art of book-making, illustrating a book, and the story line of "The Glorious Flight" are highlighted. (EJS)

This acceptance speech for an award honoring "Dear Mr. Henshaw," a book about feelings of a lonely child of divorce intended for eight-, nine-, and ten-year-olds, highlights children's letters to author. Changes in society that affect children, the inception of "Dear Mr. Henshaw," and children's reactions to books are…

Various kinds of learning disabilities confronted by Andrea Loewenstein in her school days are mentioned. These days there are learning disabilities of various kinds, though they are reserved for middle-class children, special provisions involving extra time and help are mandated.

The mother of a handicapped child recounts her development of assertiveness skills in the interests of her child. She discusses needing to be constantly alert during her child's infancy, dealing with her own feelings of grief and guilt, fighting for her son's rights against bureaucratic obstacles, and learning the appropriate times to exercise…

The mother of two handicapped children in Canada describes her family's decision to take her six-year-old out of an institutional program and bring her home to participate fully in family and community activities. (DB)

Describes the modern family fable that places an overemphasis on material possessions, prestige and success, leaving children feeling like possessions of little worth because there is a vacuum where children seek depth and commitment to form their own values and beliefs. (HOD)

A woman relates her experiences teaching in rural England for almost 60 years. She discusses the importance of teaching in a way that means something to the students, and she stresses never to underestimate children and to trust oneself and one's experiences. (JOW)

Discusses the importance of a teacher understanding things from the children's point of view. Gives examples from 32 years of teaching. Argues that seeking to understand and acknowledge oneself is the best way to understand the child. (JOW)

This article challenges the assumption that actors, action, spatial scenes, and temporal events are primitives out of which narratives are formed. Then, a number of empirical investigations are presented of how children of different ages and languages differentiate between language forms and functions in their construction of actors, actions,…