Bringing together scholarship and examples from practice, this book explores ways in which early childhood curriculum – including classroom practices and community contexts – can more actively engage with a range of social justice issues, democratic principles and anti-oppressive practices.Featuring a stellar list of expert contributors, the chapters in this volume present a cross-section of contemporary issues in childhood education. The text highlights the voices of children, tea...

Lost and alone after her step-father is murdered on the streets of New York, Katie takes her two young siblings and claims them as her own. Pretending to be a widow, she flees to Colorado Territory as a mail-order bride and into the arms of the handsome gunsmith, Robert Wallace. The attraction is instant, but just when things are looking up for her, the past comes calling--and Katie discovers harsh truths about her stepfather that put everything at risk. Her stepfather had secrets, and the...

Erin O’Toole is no stranger to violence. Growing up surrounded by one of the most powerful gangs in New York, Erin learned how to survive. But when her little brother is killed in a gang war, Erin swears she’ll never be part of her father’s world. Desperate to escape the pain of her loss and a future she doesn't want, she risks everything to become a mail-order bride.After years of being on the wrong side of justice, Henry Jacobs has made things right. Now he is a peaceful blacksmi...

Ava Lewis is a jewelry maker. As the only women jeweler where she works or that she knows in the business. Ava opens her door to find her brother who immediately falls unconscious to the floor. When she gets him awake and onto the sofa he tells her he’s dying, wounded by a poisoned blade. He demands that she take his pouch full of jewels and run. The only option she sees is to sign up as a mail-order bride under an assumed name, Jane Smith.Seamus ‘Lucky’ Madigan is a saloon owner. H...

From the day she was born, Rita Baxter's mother encouraged her to follow her heart. Filled with innocent dreams and faith that her hard work training to be a Prima Ballerina on New York's bright stage will lead to fortune and fame, Rita is crushed when she loses her mother and must take a job dancing in a burlesque chorus line to keep a roof over her head. Witnessing a brutal murder is the last straw. The police promise to keep her safe, but Rita has learned to be a realist. Determined to ...