Research has shown that adult-child shared book reading can enhance language and literacy development in the early years, although little is known about how mothers and children from socio-economically disadvantaged communities interact around books. This study investigated the shared reading interactions of three mother-child dyads living in such a community. Mothers were interviewed and videotaped reading at home with their three-year-old children on four separate occasions. The practice of shared reading was found to be common in the homes and mothers felt that reading with their children was important. Videotapes were transcribed and analysed using interpretative methods; this analysis showed substantial differences in the amount and type of interaction for each dyad. Interactions ranged from text focused to participatory. Mothers were tuned to their children's capabilities and children had developed behaviours that encouraged feedback from their mothers. While many of the behaviours involved simple discussions around illustrations, some sophisticated reading behaviours were also observed.