I first encountered this book during my undergraduate studies to be a primary school teacher over 15years ago! I recently rediscovered it on my bookshelf and thought it would be interesting to revisit it. Some sections have become outdated but the overall message of effective education being child centered is timeless. The idea that playful learning is incredibly powerful learning and the emphasis on educators focusing their planning on building children's interest in and capacity for learning, not on completing specific tasks for the sake of it, should be cornerstones to all teachers' practice.
A good reminder of the importance of knowing 'why' you're asking your pupils to undertake an activity, something that can unfortunately be lost by teachers trying to juggle the demands of an over saturated curriculum.