This book is a celebration of children's play, an evaluation of the achievements of Iona and Peter Opie in highlighting its importance, and a selection of articles inspired by their work. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Play.

Introduction 1. What is the state of play? 2. A lifetime in the playground (inaugural address to 'The State of Play' conference, University of Sheffield, 1998) 3. The making of folklore books: chiefly the experiences of the Revd. John Brand and the Opies 4. The lives and legacies of Iona and Peter Opie 5. Colleagues in the Antipodes: conversations with Iona and Peter Opie 6. The lore and law of the playground 7. From local to global: the evolution of musical play in secondary schools 8. From the wild frontier of Davy Crockett to the wintery fiords of Frozen: changes in media consumption, play and literacy from the 1950s to the 2010s 9. Meeting in the Middle East: Iona and Peter Opie's contribution to co-existence education 10. Child play is serious: children's games, verbal art and survival in Africa Memories of and Reflections about the Opies and their Work 11. Iona Opie: distant relations and 'the kindness of friends' 12. O.P.: collection as celebration of children's self-organized play 13. Iona and me 14. What the Opies have meant to me: opening teachers' eyes to the literacies of the playground 15. Making sense with the Opies 16. Stumbling into folklore more than 50 years ago 17. Books worth (re)reading