ABSTRACT
In visiting nurseries, the author always tries to be alive to the themes that are engaging the children. Soon their joint stories also contribute to the shared culture and the marks on the communal sheet of paper covering the Table mean a story to be shared. Outsiders, including parents, gather round the large paper posted on the wall and hear the story told over and over again, by those children who can interpret the marks and feel the thrill of authorship. A flavour of their sessions can be found in the following alphabet of visiting children. At the Talking Table, she listened in to others taking a line for a walk and visiting each other's worlds. She thought how important it is to recognise the many languages of children and to give them the words to translate one language into another.
