Teaching Young Children in Multicultural Classrooms: Issues, Concepts, and Strategies (2nd ed.).

TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN IN MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOMS: Issues, Concepts, and Strategies (2nd ed.). Wilma Robles de Melendez and Vesna Beck. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning, 200Z 480 pp. Paperback. It is never too early to introduce strategies of multicultural education to students, thus beginning their preparation to live in societies characterized by ever-increasing diversity. The two authors of this book have drawn upon their first-hand experiences with diversity and with being "outsiders." In the preface, the authors write that their primary purpose is to offer a text for both undergraduate (particularly juniors and seniors) and graduate teacher candidates (particularly first-year) in early childhood programs; the secondary purpose is to provide a resource (with information about issues and strategies for diverse and multicultural classrooms) for in-service early childhood teachers.

This textbook employs a balance of theory and practice and presents issues and strategies for diverse and multicultural early childhood classrooms in the holistic context of an increasingly diverse society, acknowledging societal roles that young children will play. The textbook is organized into three parts: Part I addresses such topics as schools and their roles in a diverse society, the nature of culture, the roles of families in our ever-changing world, and the development of young children in the context of this world. Part II explores the development of the multicultural education movement and how tenets of this movement can be implemented in present and future early childhood classrooms. Part III takes concepts from the first two parts and guides pre--and inservice early childhood teachers in implementing culturally responsive multicultural education into their classrooms. Planning, instruction, and assessment issues and strategies also are addressed.

Each chapter has a feature called "In Action," which offers prompts and questions to allow readers to reflect on content and apply it to their own lives. The "Snapshot" feature provides relevant anecdotes from the experiences of early childhood educators, as do the anecdotes of Barbara, an experienced kindergarten teacher, as she makes her journey to practicing culturally responsive teaching in her multicultural classroom. "Focus on Classroom Practices" adds to the repertoire of strategies for developing multicultural classrooms. "Literacy Connections" and "Children's Literature Corner" offer information about classroom resources, as do the references at the ends of chapters and in Appendix A.

This book is a valuable and timely resource for pre- and in-service early childhood educators, with the authors providing the theoretical foundations that are needed to understand the instructional strategies. This textbook could effectively be used as a primary or secondary resource in both undergraduate and graduate classrooms in early childhood programs while also providing ideas for other educators. It is user-friendly and much-needed. Reviewed by Samuel S. Perkins, Associate Professor and Department Chair, Early and Middle Childhood Education Department, Barry University, Miami Shores, FL