Clear, specific to the early years sector, and particularly useful for mature, part-time students. It is less easy to use than other manuals for single aspects of a research (I needed a handbook for an undergraduate-level literature review), but it is a great motivation-booster all the same.
Far from a dry technical manual, the book starts from the very first worry of every student: am I destined to be overwhelmed by this inhuman task? It then develops into a smooth panoramic of all the aspects of research with young children, from ethical questions, to the use of reflective practice; from the ongoing professionalisation of the sector, to the devolpement of technical tools such as observation or questionnaires.; from my nightmare, the literature review, to the final writing of the project.
The bibliography is well devised, very useful for an undergraduate student, and it is organised in "Recommended Readings" highlights at the end of every chapter.
The thing I appreciated most, however, is the centrality of children's perspective in the research development. This attention to children'sagency agrees with me, and it is coherent with the importance given throughout the book to the Reggio Emilia approach. ( )