This open access book brings together the disciplines of childhood studies, literary studies, and the environmental humanities to focus on the figure of the child as it appears in popular culture and theory. Drawing on theoretical works by Clare Colebrook, Elizabeth Povinelli, Kathryn Yusoff, Donna Haraway and Bruno Latour the book offers creative readings of sci-fi novels, short stories and films including Frankenstein, Handmaid's Tale, The Girl with All the Gifts, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and The Broken Earth trilogy. Emily Ashton raises important questions about the theorization of child development, the ontology of children, racialization and parenting and care, and how those intersect with questions of colonialism, climate, and indigeneity. The book contributes to the growing scholarship within childhood studies that is reconceptualizing the child within the Anthropocene era and argues for child-climate futures that renounce white supremacy and support Black and Indigenous futurities. The eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollection.com. Open access was funded by Knowledge Unlatched.

By implication, a well - prepared teacher is key to the sustainability of a quality education system globally. However, the outbreak of the coronavirus globally exposed many deficiencies in the education system, especially in developing nations. The education sector was not spared at the outbreak of COVID-19 as school systems everywhere were abruptly shut down and children were required to stay at home. Little did educators know that the period would linger longer than expected, hence the need to keep children learning through virtual mode. The vital questions that should be addressed are: Are teachers of early childhood capable of meeting the challenges in an emergency period like this as well as future emergencies? What expertise do they have or should they possess to meet up with the demands of emergency times and situations? Are there challenges to be addressed to enhance teachers on the job performance for any circumstances? How technologically prepared and ready are the teachers of this age for emergency times which may be natural or man-made? Is there a match between early childhood teacher preparation curriculum and societal experiences? This book aims to identify, share, and explain teachers' experiences during and after emergencies, whether they be natural or man-made across all nations. It illuminates cross-cultural commonalities and unique differences in the conceptualizations of teacher effectiveness and practices and empowers teachers on procedures and approaches to manage any form of emergency to the best of their abilities and for their student's benefit. This crucial reference is targeted towards pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as practitioners in early childhood education. Academicians, researchers, and students in education will also benefit from the research contained within this book.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the reality of life in all aspects of human endeavors. The education sector was not spared-the school system was uprooted and procedures had to be made quickly for the safety of students and faculty. As a result, educators struggled with keeping students engaged academically during online learning and the stress of a health crisis on society. Preparing Early Childhood Teachers for Managing Emergencies explores international and cross-cultural perspectives on teacher effectiveness in handling education and learning in emergency periods as well as preparedness for post-COVID-19 experiences. This book identifies, shares, and explores the predominant theoretical and conceptual understandings of teacher preparedness toward emergencies and the aftermath. Covering topics such as first aid measures, teacher effectiveness, and technology usage, this book is an essential resource for global K-12 educators, pre-service teachers, K-12 administrators, policymakers, researchers, and academicians.