Book Review: Beyond Listening: Children’s Perspectives on Early Childhood Services

BEYOND LISTENING: CHILDREN’S PERSPECTIVES ON EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES
Edited by Alison Clark, Anne Trine Kjorholt and Peter Moss
Published by Policy Press
£17.99; ISBN: 1861346123

STAR RATING: 4/5

Listening to young children is high on the government agenda at present, writes Samantha Barratt. This book challenges the early years professional to critically analyse practice to ensure
listening does not become a token gesture but a meaningful process with quantifiable outcomes.

Bringing together theory, research and practical experiences used worldwide, it reinforces the importance of listening to young children. It also effectively highlights the confusions that arise in the relationship between the rights of the child and listening to the child, and explores many interpretations of listening and the multi-faceted aspects of this work.

Chapters three to nine give positive, practical examples of how professionals working with young children can develop their own learning in order to reinforce the experiences of children within their care.

A must for early years professionals as a study aid and for research purposes, this is not a book to be read from cover to cover but rather to be digested in small mouthfuls to allow the reader to explore its content and apply it in practice.

Samantha Barratt is a workforce development offi cer with Sandwell Early Years and Childcare Unit