The cogent word for describing this American publication is in its sub‐title and that word is “rethinking”. Sandra Feinberg, Joan Kuchner and Sari Feldman, are three experienced people who have got together and have produced this very important rethink on the subject of creating the best learning environments for encouraging young children to read books. What we have here is a publication which should be drawn to the attention not only of children′s librarians but of parents and teachers as well. Feinberg and Feldman are experienced in work with children and young people in the public library field, and Kuchner is a psychologist and a university professor specialising in child and family studies. Between them, the three have produced a challenging document, the study and use of which must surely improve library services to young children and result in better‐read adults in the future. Obviously it is directed first to American children′s and school librarians, but those working in the UK and other English‐speaking countries cannot fail to glean many worthwhile ideas from its pages.
The document is in three parts, the first of which is concerned with essential elements for teaming. The first sub‐section of this part covers infancy and refer to social and physical environments, parent participation, questions of administration, and the professional requirements needed to produce ideal and effective learning environments for young children within the library sphere. In the pages about administration, details such as cleanliness and safety, in‐house collections and media relationships have not been overlooked.
The second main part is about the early childhood quality review, and this is mainly devoted to observational methodology, as well as interviewing and examining documentation. But perhaps children′s librarians should pay the greatest attention to the third part of the document, which is headed “Quality review tools”. Here will be found field‐tested measuring pro‐formae that can be used to conduct qualitative assessments of the library services being provided to young children. Again it must be remarked that many of the questions and headings refer specifically to American practice, but it should not be beyond the wit of British children′s librarians to adapt them to their own services.
This presentation is backed up by copious references to other useful books, articles and reports. It also includes a foreword by Viki Ash‐Geisler, a former children′s librarian, who is now a library educator working at Texas Woman′s University. She begins by saying: “You have in your hands an important book”. She is right. Anything that can be done to encourage more children to read can only result in more and better readers in the future. The education of a child begins the day it is born. Feinberg, Kuchner and Feldman realise this, and they are to be congratulated on encouraging the improvement of library services to very young children. They should also be thanked for avoiding the use of that offensive word “kids” which Americans use so much. The word is only to be found on page xvi and again on page 72, in both cases referring to book titles. For this relief, Sandra, Joan and Sari, much thanks!
