Consider...Three children at the library*

“Two-year-old Avery is at the library with her grandfather. They are watching a puppet show together with a dozen other children. Avery is fascinated by the rabbit puppet that has just come onto the puppet stage asking all of the children to sing along. Avery joins in enthusiastically. From the left side of the puppet stage a growling sound is followed by a furry monster puppet who faces the audience and says in a menacing voice, ‘Yummy, yummy in my tummy. A tender rabbit for lunch.’ Avery sees that the rabbit is in danger and her face changes from enthusiasm to fear. She grasps her grandfather’s leg and climbs into his lap; her body has become tense. The rabbit turns to the furry monster and says, ‘Please come play with me. I have many friends today and we can all sing together.’ Avery watches tentatively as the furry monster puppet slides over to the rabbit. As the rabbit holds out his paw in a welcoming gesture, the furry monster’s angry growls change to something closer to a cat’s purr. Now the rabbit is stroking the furry monster. Avery’s body relaxes and she looks up at grandpa, who is smiling. Avery’s smile returns, her body relaxes, and she turns back to the stage and joins with others to sing the next song.

Two other children, the same age as Avery, have very different reactions as they watch the puppet show. Ashraf clutches his mother’s skirt as soon as the rabbit comes on stage. He watches intently but is not smiling and does not join the sing-along. When the furry monster appears on the stage, Ashraf ’s face crumbles and he begins to sob. His mother tries to comfort him, but he only sobs louder. She carries him out of the library, and he is now thrashing about in the stroller as she walks toward home. Ashraf continues to sob uncontrollably until he falls asleep.

Jamel is also watching the puppet show. He sits quietly beside his older brother and does not join into the song. He gazes away from the puppets and stares out the window. He hears the furry monster puppet’s angry growl and glances back to the stage but does not react. Instead, Jamel sits passively until the puppet show is over and his brother tells him it is time to go home” (McCain et al., 2011, p. 34-35).

*Excerpt, used with permission, from:

McCain, M.N, Mustard, J.F. & McCuaig, K. (2011). Early years study 3: Making decisions taking action (p. 34-35).Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation. https://earlyyearsstudy.ca/early-years-study-3/