Book Review

The chapter suggests that rather than depending on negative emotions such as anger and fear to motivate action, positive emotions such as interest, joy, and curiosity are more effective motivators. According to Hyson, "We can all think of times when feelings of curiosity have kept us working at tasks even when we are tired, hungry, or discouraged. When we are interested, we feel alert and focused; we want to explore and learn more about the object of our fascination. Feelings of curiosity make us ready to tackle a problem or pursue a question until we reach a satisfactory conclusion"

Part 2 of the book consists of three shorter chapters on Explorations. This is supposed to offer the reader an opportunity to explore the theory of early emotional development more deeply. Each Exploration consists of a vignette from a head start teacher and a family child care provider. This is followed by a set of questions for reflection and application of the understanding of young children's emotions.

It seems a bit of a challenge sometimes to sift out the major lessons and the teaching techniques from the story-like way in which much of the book is written. Sometimes it feels like one is reading a story book and simply enjoying the tales of Terry, Natalie, Hope, Ilene, and the others and their children. Then one has to catch oneself, remember that the purpose of the book is not only about the stories and go back and make notes of the text to be derived from the book. It may not be easy for the beginning early childhood educator who wants to develop and work with an emotion-centered curriculum to use the book initially.

Marilou Hyson has provided a useful addition to the growing literature on emotional learning for early childhood. The book will certainly help anyone working with young children to understand the role that emotions play, and provide guidance for creating an emotion-centered environment for learning.

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