Developed as a companion volume to ""The Play's the Thing"", this book defines and analyses the concept of master player based on videotaped observations of pre-school children at play. By interweaving sequences of play together with their dialogue about them, the authors model how teachers can work as a team to develop their understanding of a particular child and of the value of children's quality play, and how they can support it. The in-depth discussion between the authors reveals the multi-facted nature of play, individual differences in both teachers' and children's styles, and the complexity of intervention decisions made by teachers.