Pre-order Releases Dec 1, 2026
Smart and Capable: Supporting Children's Agency in a Complex World
$18.87 / copy at 25+ copies As low as $16.71 at 1,000+Your best volume price
Volume pricing Applied automatically in your cart
About the book
Smart and Capable
Young children are smart and capable. They already have most of what they need to learn and grow. Author Dr. Jennifer Keys Adair, a Professor of Early Childhood Education and a preschool teacher-turned-cultural anthropologist draws upon 20 years of stories and scientific evidence to show why agency is so important for children’s learning, even in a society that can be dangerous and complicated.
Using examples from many different countries and communities around the world – from Austin, Texas to Bangalaru, Karnataka - this book offers nine core experiences that honor and support young children’s agency: Exploration, Participation, Caring for the Natural World, Conflict, Difficult Discussions, Caring for People, Multilingualism, Multiplicity, and Protection.
Adair emphasizes that the nine experiences have endless variation and will look different depending on where you live, what you have access to, and the types of realities you face. This book is not a manual or a "how to” for teachers and parents, because there is no one best way to support children’s agency. To make this case, Adair includes stories of infants, toddlers, and young children in parks, homes, childcare programs, preschools, elementary classrooms and community centers using their agency in a variety of circumstances.
The heart of the book is a hope that adults will find their own ways to create environments in which children can enact their agency early and safely, so children can shift the world they are inheriting to the world they want.
The book, Smart and Capable: Supporting Children's Agency in a Complex World [Bulk, Wholesale, Quantity] ISBN#9780807045114 in Hardcover by Jennifer Keys Adair may be ordered in bulk quantities. Minimum starts at 25 copies. Availability based on publisher status and quantity being ordered.
What readers are saying
Details
- Publisher
- Beacon Press
- Author
- Jennifer Keys Adair
- Format
- Hardcover
- Release date
- Dec 1, 2026
- ISBN-13
- 9780807045114
- ISBN-10
- 080704511X
- Pages
- 216
- Carton quantity
- 20 copies
Who it's for
Made for classrooms and campuses
Pre-order copies for everyone on your list, and they ship on release.
- Course adoption A copy for every student in the class or section. Get a quote
- Faculty and staff studies Shared reading for professional development. Get a quote
- Orientation and common reads First-year programs and campus events. Get a quote
- Libraries Copies for every branch, on one order. Get a quote
Before release day
Need them before Dec 1?
Books ship on release and usually arrive around the release date. Early delivery is common, and we arrange it often. It needs the publisher’s OK, so tell us why you need them early and we’ll make the request for you.
- Tell us the date and the reasonA class unit, an event, a program launch: one line is enough.
- We ask the publisherWe make the request on your behalf. It’s a routine part of what we do.
- We confirm with youYour specialist confirms the date by email before anything ships.
Other times a quote is the better path
- Several addressesOne order split across schools, branches, classrooms or homes.
- Signings and eventsTell us the venue and the date, and we’ll plan the delivery around it.
- Custom touchesBookplates, belly bands, gift notes or packaging for your copies.
- Purchase ordersSchools, libraries and agencies can pay by PO.
Smart and Capable in bulk: pricing
Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart. No codes, no account needed.
| Copies | Price per copy | You save |
|---|---|---|
| 25 – 99 | $18.87 | 30% off list |
| 100 – 249 | $18.33 | 32% off list |
| 250 – 499 | $17.79 | 34% off list |
| 500 – 999 | $17.25 | 36% off list |
| 1,000+ | $16.71 | 38% off list |
How fast can I get copies of Smart and Capable?
This title is not released yet. Pre-orders ship when it is, currently scheduled for December 1, 2026. Need them by a specific date? Request a quote and we'll confirm timing before you pay.
Can you ship to several locations or people's homes?
Yes. We ship in bulk to one address, to multiple sites, or to individual recipients, in the US and internationally. See fulfillment options.
Can I get a formal quote for approval before ordering?
Yes. Request a quote and we'll send a PDF you can forward for approval.
Do you accept purchase orders and tax-exempt orders?
Yes. We accept purchase orders upon approval, as well as cards, PayPal, ACH, wire transfers and checks. BookPal is a tax-exempt supplier in all 50 states. See purchase orders and sales tax exemption.
What if I find a lower price?
Send us the link. We match prices from other bulk booksellers and distributors on a new copy in the same edition, available to ship in the quantity you need. Clearance sales and pricing errors are the exception, and we'll tell you quickly if that's the case. Start a price match.
Built for school and campus orders
PDF quotes, purchase orders, tax exemption and multi-site delivery, handled by one account manager.
PDF quotes, purchase orders, tax exemption and help with vendor setup.
For schools Make it yoursBookplates, tipped-in pages, belly bands or author signatures. Hardcovers only, subject to publisher approval.
Customization options Ship to every readerOne address, many sites or individual recipients' homes, in the US and abroad.
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