′Highly readable... Anybody working with babies and young children needs to have the knowledge that Whitehead clearly explains here′ - SureStart

′One of the many excellent features of this book is the way it tackles the issue of bilingualism in early childhood′ - Early Years Educator (eye)

Praise for previous editions:

`Marian Whitehead forces the reader to attend to the "voice of the child against the encroachment of inappropriate curriculum demands. Her total fascination for children′s language development captures the reader in an enthusiastic and informed voyage through "the most exciting and important aspect of human development - language in the early years′ - Early Years

`This is an excellent read for all parents and workers with young children. The style of the book is friendly and accessible, with beautifully produced of photographs of children and indeed of their own work. Marian Whitehead is not ashamed to draw on her experiences as a grandparent, as well as highly competent theoretical researcher; she does both with competence and humour. This will prove an excellent source book for those involved in course design from childminders to university lecturers′ - Child Language Teaching and Therapy

Looking at the most exciting and important aspect of human development - communication and language in the early years - this accessible book gives carers, parents, teachers and other professionals who work and play with young children a confident understanding of children′s communication and language development in the years from birth to age eight.

The book examines the wide range of elements that are typical of all our communication and language activities: thinking, feeling, imagining, talking, listening, drawing, writing and reading. The author emphasizes the importance of children′s relationships and communications with the people who care about them, spend time with them and share in the excitement of their developing languages and their investigations of literacy. Taking a holistic approach, she covers:

o early communication and language

o the achievements of young bilinguals

o the significance of stories, narrative and language play

o the emergence of literacy in homes, early years settings and classrooms.

′This highly readable guide discusses how to help babies become competent communicators...Anybody working with babies and young children needs to have the knowledge that Whitehead clearly explains here′ - SureStart