Recognizing that preschool experience of hearing stories read aloud contributes significantly to children's subsequent success in learning to read at school, this paper explores the complex and powerful literacy learning that can develop from a certain style of whole class story reading to children whose home cultures would not otherwise give them…

Examines the reading attainment levels of a group of elementary students who had either experienced nursery, day care, or no preschool provision outside the home. Compares pupils' scores on reading tests over four years. Although the results were inconclusive they suggest positive reading attainment outcomes related to preschool experience. (MJP)

Focusing on the relationship between learning oral language and learning about written language, this book discusses the emergent literacy (EL) of children growing up in a Western, print-oriented society, as well as findings of research conducted during the past 15 years on how children make sense of the way in which literacy works in their…