Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief review of foundational research that has informed how the field of literacy education understands the importance of child-adult interactions for learning language and early literacy, and the importance of this learning for learning literacy later in life. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology utilised followed conventional rapid review practices. Findings: Findings include reminders of what we know about how children learn language as they engage in their worlds and with the significant adults in their lives. The paper also provides evidence of the importance of this early learning for literacy learning once children begin school. Practical implications: The practical implication of this review is a sage reminder of the importance of schools and educators valuing the diverse repertoires of language and literacy understandings brought to early literacy instruction by all children. An important mantra for this work is different but not deficit. Originality/value: The value of this short paper is in the provision of a conceptual basis for the Foundations for Language and Literacy touchstone 12 which focuses on the importance of children's early language and literacy learning for later literacy development.