Stagnitti (Occupational Science and Therapy Program, Deakin University, Australia) and Cooper (University of Newcastle, Australia) invite contributors from Australia, Europe, and the US to provide background on theory and applications of play therapy for assessment and intervention. The book sits between the early childhood literature on play and the specialist literature on play therapies, as it examines play as therapy with different clinical populations, and presents several approaches to the use of play for assessment, while acknowledging environmental and cultural contexts surrounding play. Four different theoretical understandings of play are outlined, and the fundamentals of play assessment are broadly overviewed. Three new play assessments are introduced, and therapeutic play interventions are described for developing pretend play, non-directive play therapy, and working with children with physical disabilities, illustrated with case vignettes. The readership for the book includes play therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, social workers, and early intervention specialists. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)