Mollie Is Three: Growing Up in School - Paperback

by Vivian Gussin Paley (Author)

A classic work by an educator the New York Times said "should be required reading wherever children are growing"

Mollie Is Three describes a year in the life of a little girl and her preschool classmates in a nursery school classroom run by Vivian Gussin Paley, whose groundbreaking ideas about the best way to teach young children continue to be influential today. We first encounter Mollie on the first day of school, just before her third birthday, and we follow her and her classmates for the next year. Alongside her, we go from confusion and uncertainty in new surroundings to growing understanding and confidence, as patterns emerge and Mollie begins to grasp their significance--and her teacher begins to understand how to track her growth and development.

Rather than offer an account of an idealized, all but imaginary child, Paley presents us with one actual kid, in all their complexity and confusion. The result is a landmark contribution to our understanding of child development and the role early education can play in fostering it.

Back Jacket

'Paley's vivid and accurate descriptions depict both spontaneous and recurring incidents and outline increasingly complex interactions among the children. Included in the narrative are questions or ideas to challenge the reader to gain more insight and understanding into the motives and conceptualizations of Mollie and other children.'-Karen L. Peterson, Young Children