Children develop literacy skills in environments that encourage their engagement with language, print, and books. The way children learn to read is affected by the level of support adults provide when children interact with books. The authors discuss books as natural supports for literacy learning and embedding such learning in typical early childhood and home settings. They offer examples to illustrate which elements of texts to consider when evaluating and selecting children's books, and how teachers can use these elements to optimize teaching-learning interactions during book reading.