Family literacy studies have shown that the role of parental storybook reading has an impact on children's success in school-based literacy instruction. Storybook reading is when adults read an appropriate text to their children. This review describes studies in which parents and children engage in storybook reading. It specifically reports studies that discuss how parents (1) present formal and informal storybook literacy experiences, (2) engage children in storybook reading, (3) interact with their children during storybook reading, (4) participate in storybook intervention programmes, and (5) relate storybook reading to children's literacy experiences. The results of these studies indicate that storybook reading promotes children's language growth, emergent literacy and reading achievement. Thus, family literacy studies have shown that parental storybook reading has an impact on the children's success in school-based literacy instruction.