children ambiguity psychology wonderland

books:

The Genesis of Animal Play: Testing the Limits (Bradford Books)

2 reviews
Gordon M. Burghardt

The MIT Press, 2006

Play in animals - the best book available
Gordon Burghardt;s book is an exceptionally complete review of play behavior in many diverse species of animals. It will set the standard for future research and volumes in this very popular area of research. Recommended for undergraduate and graduate courses in animal behavior and for people who want to know more about this fascinating behavioral phenomenon.

Children S Folklore

2 reviews
Brian Sutton-Smith

Utah State University Press, 1999

Fascinating Study of Children's Folklore
This volume consists of articles on children's folklore. The book provides various ways of studying the games, songs, rhymes, and other forms of folk culture that children express. It is an excellent resource for learning to understand ways that children's culture leads insight into the worldview of children. I also am impressed with the ways that the study of children's culture leads one to ...

The Ambiguity of Play

3 reviews
Brian Sutton-Smith

Harvard University Press, 2001

Serious scholarship on the not-so-serious topic of play
In a novel approach to an understanding of the everyday phenomenon that we call "play," Professor Sutton-Smith tackles this slippery subject by analyzing the persuasive techniques that researchers use to define play. "We all play occasionally, and we all know what playing feels like. But when it comes to making theoretical statements about what play is, we fall into silliness," claims ...

Children's Imaginative Play: A Visit to Wonderland (Child Psychology and Mental Health)
Shlomo Ariel, Brian Sutton-Smith

Praeger Publishers, 2002

In this visit to the wonderland of children's imaginative, make-believe play, readers are be exposed to both a general, bird's-eye view of the whole of this fascinating realm, and to a closer look at its diverse regions. This volume examines the borderlines between make-believe play and akin phenomena such as dreams, drama, and rituals. Readers will become acquainted with the secret codes of make-believe play. These codes are activated in both ...