Under Deadman's Skin: Discovering the Meaning of Children's Violent Play

by Jane Katch

Book Overview

The five-and six-year-olds in my class have invented a new game they call suicide. I have never seen a game I hate so much in which all the children involved are so happy. So begins Under Deadman's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807031291
• ISBN13: 9780807031292
• Release Date: February 2002
• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.9" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Interesting insight

This book gives an interesting insight into the minds of children...especially boys. It is refreshing to read about a teacher who wants to understand her students so well. I appreciated the opportunity to think about violent play as a healthy way for children to express their feelings.

A wonderful, sane view of kids

We adults so often overreact to children's "violent" play, but as a teacher and sometime child advocate I see how much richer and more complicated their make-believe is than what we so easily pigeonhole as "violence." Vivian Gussin Paley makes clear what such fantasy means to children, and why we should understand and participate in it, in this wonderfully readable book!

a new slant on children and violence

This book takes a thoughtful look at how a group of kindergarten children act out in their play the violent thoughts and worries that they have. It is also about how their teacher struggles with the question of how best to help them deal with their violent play, which she finds quite upsetting. It is not preachy book, much less a quick fix on violence in America. But if you are a kindergarten teacher or a parent of kindergartener you will end up seeing your children's play in a whole new way.