Although the plight of children can sometimes seem grim, there are positive indicators. This interdisciplinary textbook examines children's lives across the world, acknowledging the great differences as well as points of comparison, between childhoods in different contexts. It examines children's use of their own resources and coping strategies, revealing that few children are passive victims of fate, helplessly awaiting rescue.

The book considers the problems caused by poverty, social inequality, ill-health and violence and emphasises that these are challenges for children everywhere, not just those in the poorer countries of the world. A key feature of the book is the children's voices which feature prominently in many chapters in interviews and research conducted by the authors. This well-presented and engagingly written book is an ideal introduction for undergraduates interested in contemporary global childhoods.