Early childhood in rich countries is a time when children are protected, and their playfulness and curiosity is encouraged. However, this perception co-exists with toleration of political and economic conditions that grossly undermine or even prematurely end the lives of millions of young children in poor countries. This book discusses how this poverty is recognized and defined through the following case-studies: * Kazakhstan - once part of the Soviet Union * Swaziland - a country in Southern Africa devastated by HIV and AIDS * Himalayan India * Brazil - one of the world's most unequal countries. These four case-studies illustrate the diversity and complexity of the responses to the attempts to globalize childhood, and highlight the need to address the inequalities of childhood experience. This book will be invaluable to anyone on early childhood courses with an international focus or studying early childhood in an international context.