Kehily, Mary Jane, & Swann, Joan . Children's Cultural Worlds

Adolescence, Fall, 2004

KEHILY, Mary Jane, & SWANN, Joan (Eds.). Children's Cultural Worlds. United Kingdom: The Open University and John Wiley & Sons, 2003. 344pp. $45.00 (p).

Childhood is a brand new series of textbooks, co-published with The Open University, which represents a coherent and integrated treatment of a wide range of topics and approaches, and which will have relevance to courses in childhood studies, sociology, psychology, anthropology and cultural studies as well as education and social policy. Each volume contains original illustrations, case studies and examples collected as part of OU/BBC filming in the USA, Bangladesh and South Africa. The third volume, Children's Cultural Worlds, looks at the distinctiveness of children's cultural worlds by exploring the everyday activities of young children through to teenagers. Topics include friendships and the significance of play; how children use language to construct relationships and identities; the role of print literature, other media and information technology in children's lives; and their growing power as consumers. Features of each volume include: an interactive text, carefully selected case studies and readings, attractive layout and color design throughout, a high level of illustration, and clear and student-friendly style.