Intended to be a guide for novice volunteers, this book discusses both the theoretical foundations and the practical details that will help a person to understand a child's literacy development. The book begins with an overview of the reading process and then moves into addressing key concerns such as the first day as a volunteer, the kinds of books that might be used, and how the volunteer can work with his or her reading partner. The book presents helpful strategies that allow the volunteer tutor to build on a child's natural abilities with language. It offers illustrations from children's books, analysis of selected texts, and concludes with an appendix of various types of books for further reading. Besides its usefulness for volunteers, the book could also be used by elementary teachers involved in children's literacy development, since it describes scenarios and situations with real children in authentic classrooms. (NKA)