Island
of Childhood
Education
in the Special World of Nursery School
by
Beyond babyhood but prior to kindergarten lies the special world of nursery school children between the ages of three and five. This period of childhood, as observed through the eyes of the nursery school teacher, is a time when young children learn to develop relationships with their peers, as well as strengthen their sense of self-affirmation. In the book Island of Childhood: Education in the Special World of Nursery School, Elinor Fitch Griffin examines these formative years by means of numerous case records and interpretive analyses of the nursery school experience. She focuses the reader's attention on a wide range of interpersonal and environmental factors which influence the attitudes and personalities of young children. The book is movingly written, reflecting Dr. Griffin's compassion for and understanding of children.
The original publication of Island of Childhood marked the culmination of Elinor Fitch Griffin's twenty years of nursery school teaching, parent counseling, and psychotherapy practice. This work has remained a staple of pre- and in-service early childhood education and psychology courses. Teachers and students will find the book to be a catalyst for the development of individualized teaching and techniques of behavior analysis. Parents, too, will benefit from Dr. Griffin's invaluable insights that suggest reasons for various patterns in the development of the preschool child.
1998/320 pp./paper $31.95/ISBN: 0-9658339-4-1