DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET where children learn from one another through hands-on, sensory experi- ences. This main idea is repeated again toward the end of the book in chapter 11, when she encourages parents to understand that “cognitive challenges for very young children are likely to involve hands-on projects and creative con- versations, rather than worksheets and encyclopedias” (120). All early childhood educators need to understand the foundations of early childhood education as well as have the expertise to challenge young chil- dren who have demonstrated atypically advanced development. Gadzikowski focuses on the strategies that equip teachers to provoke higher-level thinking in their students and to create environments that allow children to grow in their strength areas. In chapter 3, she encourages teachers to observe and doc- ument the behaviors and progress of their students and gives specific tips on how to listen, ask questions, and take meaningful notes on what the children are saying. These fairly simple ideas may be the difference between a teacher who knows and learns how to stimulate a child’s thinking and a teacher who simply records what the child is doing without taking the opportunity to push the child further. As a professor who teaches future early childhood educators, this book not only encompasses what we want them to know about teaching all young children but also gives practical suggestions for addressing individual needs, interests, and readiness levels for their diverse students. Many bright young children are advanced readers. In chapter 7, Gadzikowski provides a list of authentic opportunities for children to engage in advanced literacy, empha- sizing the need to connect children’s reading to their interests, not only their reading levels. She gives teachers strategies for differentiating math, literacy, and science and also explains how inquiry-based learning integrates core content into children’s pursuits of their own questions. Gadzikowski details in chapter 9 what teachers need to do to guide children through the scientific method, including the small steps of writing down students’ ques- tions, eliciting predictions, and helping students find resources to answer their questions. Throughout this book, Gadzikowski demonstrates that she knows young children and their parents well. She implores both parents and teach- ers to focus on children’s interests, passions, and strengths and to not allow asynchronous development of young children to mask their unique talents, personality traits, or needs. She highlights the importance of relationships— adult to child and child to child—and gives justification for educators to pro- vide warm, inclusive environments where “the diversity of all the children’s strengths and talents is nurtured and supported, and collaborative learning occurs frequently” (61). x | Foreword COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL