Book Review: The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophy for Children

Abstract

The Routledge international handbook of philosophy for children offers ‘a wide variety of critical perspectives on this diverse and controversial field, in order to generate new discussions and to identify emerging questions and themes’ (xxi). As a collection of scholarly papers on Philosophy for Children (P4C), the volume is a thorough and detailed handbook which highlights the distance P4C has travelled since its inception 50 years ago. Several uses of this volume spring to mind. Somebody new to P4C would do well to read the concise introduction which covers the history and thematic strands which shape P4C. Experienced practitioners or researchers could use the handbook to explore new directions and ideas in the field. School leaders and policy makers could refer to the section headings to identify uses of P4C that would pertain to their particular situations. The editors have identified a fairly definitive list of key questions for P4C; while the papers do not form a cohesive whole, they do function as a useful handbook to give readers a taste of some of the answers currently available to these questions.