Lifework and Legacy of Iona and Peter Opie

<p>Iona and Peter Opie were twentieth-century pioneers. Their research and writing focused on the folklore of British children - their games rhymes riddles secret languages and every variety of the traditions and inventions of the children's collective physical and verbal play. Such closely observed respectful good-humoured and historically attuned writing about the traditions of childhood was a revelation to English-language readers around the world. Their numerous books were a rare phenomenon: they attracted a popular readership far beyond the professional and academic communities. For those who work with children their collaborative research was a powerful influence in confirming the immense capacities of the young for cooperation conservation invention and imagination. Their books challenged - then and now - the bleak and limited view of children which focuses on their smallness ignorance and powerlessness. </p><p></p><p>The writers in this volume pay their tribute to the Opies by exploring a wonderfully varied topography of children's play from different countries and different perspectives. Their research is vivid and challenging; that is as it should be in the tradition of the Opies. </p><p></p><p>This book was originally published as a special issue of the <i>International Journal of Play. </i></p>