Providing a much needed window into children's home lives and learnings, uncovering multiple literacies that need to be valued in their own right, this book shows how familial influences on children lead them to develop particular strengths and describes the features of home learning that teachers should understand and consider. The book tells the tale of 3 fourth-grade children: "Eric," struggling with print but handy with tools and mechanical things;"Kelly," talkative but lacking confidence in her ability to read and write; and "Janette," literate in print and successful--though quiet--in school. After a foreword by Donald H. Graves and an introduction, chapters in the book are (1) Literacy/Literacies; (2) Getting Acquainted: School; (3) Getting Acquainted: Homes and Families; (4) Kelly: Seeking Connections; (5) Eric: Show, Don't Tell; (6) Janette: When Home and School Literacies Fit; (7) Merging Home and School Literacies; and (8) Where Do We Go from Here? (Contains 128 references. Appendixes address research methods and provide a questionnaire for parents.) (RS)