Short book reviews

    "Offering a wealth of practical guidance to support teachers of young children, the book is linked to current educational theory. It sets out ways of helping children make sense of mathematics and suggests an alternative approach to the use of worksheets. It is supported by numerous examples of children's own representations and intuitive methods. Children are then more able to translate between their informal knowledge and more abstract forms of mathematical symbolism, which they meet as they progress through school. This book is essential reading for students of education, Early Childhood Studies and those taking Masters' level courses. It underpins the recommendations for the National Numeracy Strategy in England and the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage. It is also highly recommended to practitioners and teachers working in the 3-8 years age range." Paul Chapman, Publishers

    "Ground breaking ... To single out any one chapter would be unfair because there is something thought-provoking and inspirational throughout. If you want to expand your understanding upwards and outwards then get a copy soon." Times Educational Supplement

    "I first read Children's Mathematics, Making Marks, Making Meaning a couple of years ago and it had an immediate impact on my own thinking and teaching, and the work I do with trainee teachers. I'm sure you will find it compelling reading too. I think it has the potential to change, in a fundamental way, how we think about early mathematical development." Lynne McClure, Editor, Math Coordinators’ File, Mathematics Association

    "Your book is brilliant. Most exciting work I’ve read in years. I’m re-looking at all of my work. Amazing." John Matthews, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

    "Children's Mathematics: Making Marks, Making Meaning’ is essential reading for students of Education and Early Childhood Studies, as well as for those practitioners working in the Foundation and Primary stages of education." Anne Cooper, Mathematics in Schools (Mathematics Association)

    "This publication will stimulate the thinking of early years practitioners with an enthusiasm for mathematics and will strike a familiar chord with those whose particular interest lies in literacy and mark making. This is a book rich with detail yet easy to read. A short review cannot do justice to the range of insights it offers to a wide audience. Practitioners wishing to extend their work in mathematics would enjoy and benefit from delving into this book, students and researchers with mathematical concerns will find summaries of previous work linked to established theory, and teachers of children over five years old will find useful insights into working with parents to help children become effective mathematicians. It is well constructed and provides a range of interesting examples of effective pedagogy in early years mathematics. It is an excellent stimulus for those who want to develop their practice as well as their knowledge." Anna Cox. Journal of Early Childhood Research.

   "A very useful addition for students in early years. We will put it on the reading list for all our courses in future." Val Warren, University of Hertfordshire

    "This book is a thought-provoking and informative study of a really interesting area and has a good mix of theory, practice, reflection and advice. I believe that it is such an accessible book because it is rooted in children’s development in real-life situations. It is so insightful due to the richness of the children’s experiences." Brian Lee. Foundation Stage Advisory Teacher. Devon.

    "This is a rather remarkable book. Written by practitioners, it combines information from other sources with a text that is strengthened by many examples from their own professional experience. Their central tenet is that children more easily move from their informal home mathematics to the abstract symbolism of school mathematics if they are encouraged to make their own marks with their own meaning, and that these marks can greatly inform teachers of the child's mathematical understanding and development. Based on the observations of 700 children aged from 3 to 8, they suggest different schema that children use in their construction of knowledge. I found it fascinating. Being helped to decode young children's marks will help me to look at very young children's learning, and with more respect!" Lynne McClure, Editor, Primary Mathematics

    "I shall recommend purchase for our library and on reference for our curriculum centre. It covers very important material for our prospective primary school teachers." Carole Plater, University of Brighton

    "A very timely book, supporting the NNS and Ofsted’s efforts to encourage children's jottings." Dr A Wing, University of Brighton

    "This was already an adopted book, [at the university] in its previous edition. The new edition builds upon this, and appears to be the only reliable text on the ground once occupied by Hughes' excellent 'Children and Number'." Mr Ralph Manning, School of Education & Lifelong Learning, University of East Anglia

    "This fascinating and well researched book gripped me from beginning to end. It is authoritative while at the same time easy to read and would appeal to teachers who want to move their mathematics teaching forward but don’t quite know how to go about it. Read this book and throw away your worksheets!" Foundation Stage File

    "The authors advocate a spirit of freedom for both early years practitioners and more importantly, the freedom for children to express themselves in relevant contexts. All early years practitioners will be inspired by this book." Juliet Doswell, University of the West of England

    "Drawing on quotes from The Little Prince by Saint-Exupery (1958), the authors discuss the mathematical development of young children. Examples from young children's work help illustrate the various strategies children use to display their thinking. Each chapter includes suggestions and methods to encourage children's mathematical thinking. They stress the need for teachers to recognize the mathematical knowledge that children own when coming to school and offer ways to bridge the gap. For those working in an early childhood environment, this book can be an excellent resource in understanding and planning for children's mathematical experiences." Deborah Ann Jensen, Faculty of Education - Hunter College, City University of New York

    "After my first book, The Emergence of Literacy, came out in 1987, I waited for someone to write "the emergence of numeracy" and could not understand why nobody did. Now they have. I have only seen it this afternoon, but just skimming through it looks absolutely fascinating. It really ought to appeal to more than maths teachers; in a way it is as much about literacy as mathematics, for numbers are written language." Nigel Hall, Manchester Metropolitan University

    "This book demonstrates the provocativeness of maths and its potential to inspire motivate and challenge the youngest minds. Children's Mathematics will stimulate professional development in early years' mathematics and is recommended reading for all early years' educators." European Early Childhood Education Research (EECERA) Journal

    "I purchased a copy of your book over the holidays - it is my bedtime reading at the moment but it is far too stimulating." Philippa Cook, Nursery Teacher, Clifton High School, Bristol

    "Thought-provoking and inspirational throughout. If you want to expand your understanding upwards and outwards then get a copy soon." John Dabell, Education Consultant, Former Numeracy Consultant & Ofsted Inspector

    "The writers make a very convincing case for the usefulness of exploring children's marks in order to understand their mathematical cognition. The examples of children's written representations provide fascinating insights into how different children think about mathematics." Katherine Canobi, University of Melbourne

    "Very good book, needs to be read by all EYFS practitioners who want the best for the children in their care. Useful for all teachers in valuing children's graphics in understanding maths." Headteacher, Amazon Books.

    "This book demonstrates the provocativeness of maths and its potential to inspire motivate and challenge the youngest minds. Children's Mathematics will stimulate professional development in early years' mathematics and is recommended reading for all early years' educators." European Early Childhood Education Research (EECERA) Journal

    "In a nutshell, the aim of Children’s Mathematics is to hear the voice of the emergent learner. The authors of this ground-breaking book champion the freedom of children to make sense of the world around them by creating mathematical literacy though marks and graphics of their own making,representations that mean something to them. his book is about seeing beyond the ‘scribbles’ children make and treating them seriously because they are full of significance. The book argues that teachers can support children’s maths schemas by exploring and developing their mathematical marks and extend their thinking though direct modelling. This is not a one-way street but a reciprocal relationship where ideas are co-constructed, negotiated, encouraged and valued. This innovative book is very well referenced and you do have to hike over a quite a few academic names and studies along the way but the insights and views are worth it. To single out any one chapter would be unfair because there is something thought-provoking and inspirational throughout. If you want to expand your understanding upwards and outwards then get a copy soon." John Dabell, Education Consultant and former Numeracy consultant and Ofsted Inspector: Times Educational Supplement (TES).