Included here are many of the familiar games we often wish we had gathered together between two covers, but also a wealth of lesser-known, but equally worthy games. Both new and experienced teachers will be grateful to have so much material to choose from. This is an eminently practical book-the directions are clear, the drawings delightful and the keys singable. But what truly distinguishes this book from similar collections is the author's point of view. Drawing from her remarkable family experience and her many years as a Waldorf teacher, Anna Rainville comes to the enterprise with much love and wisdom. Her insightful and eloquent comments sing forth her firsthand delight in these games and ring with insight into the gifts of the material. She deeply understands the importance of these playful rituals as a way to bring the child's inner and outer life into accord and equally values their power to create a circle of community. In an age when children's play has been reduced to electronic sensation and organized athletics, a book like this is needed indeed to remind us of an older and truer form of childhood play.
