Power Play tells the story of activist teachers and the very young together in a play-based curriculum in a public school in Texas. The authors narrate (with playful interruptions) a curriculum that is powered by the students lived encountersthe languages, landscapes, beliefs, histories, geographies, politics, economies, ideas, people, things, matter, and matters of fact and fiction that students carry with them to school, that carry them to school, through school, through their lives.

Tim Kinard is an Assistant Professor of Early Learning at Texas State University. His research interests include early learning environments in general, with special emphasis actions that challenge taken-for-granted notions about learning through playful explorations with the very young, their teachers, schools, societies, and realities. Jesse Gainer is an Associate Professor of Literacy Education at Texas State University. His research interests include child-centered approaches to early literacy teaching & learning, out-of-school literacy practices, and critical-multicultural literacy instruction. Mary Esther Soto Huerta is an Associate Professor of Culture, Literacy, and Language at Texas State University. Her research focuses on multilingual and biliteracy development, issues of equity in education for language minority students, and bilingual teacher education preparation.