In an age of restrictive standards and accountability measures, teachers often find themselves in a position where they have to struggle to keep play with language and literature as a focus of their early literacy instruction, as "scientifically based" reading programs, phonics, or scripted instruction take center stage. In order to counter this…

This article investigates the ways in which alphabetic print concepts govern a sense of natural and appropriate early reading development, and juxtaposes the concepts found in early literacy curriculum and assessment with hypertextual elements found in new forms of texts written for children. Using a theoretical approach that combines…