Beaten, pushed, exploited, overworked, unpaid; a far cry from the cared-for and nurtured lives our children should expect in the twenty-first century. Jennifer Tann’s compelling, harrowing and thorough account tells of the appalling treatment and conditions experienced by youngsters throughout the ages, in all spheres of work. In our mills and mines, fields, factories and family homes, even the smallest of children were employed, used and abused. Bringing the story up to date, and setting it in the context of the of plight of many children across the world today, the author draws important conclusions about society’s expectations and requirements of children, in the past and right up to the present. It seems obvious to say that we have to end all child exploitation, but what emerges from Professor Tann’s excellent analysis is that to legislate fairly on working children is not, perhaps, as straightforward as it might at first appear.