Designed to be scholarly in content and grounded in research and at the same time be practical and usable for day care workers, classroom teachers, and curriculum specialists, this book discusses various aspects of the view that children's literacy development is a continuous process beginning in infancy with exposure to oral language, written language, books, and stories in the home. Articles in the book focus on theory and practice for children aged two through eight in classrooms ranging from day care facilities and other prekindergarten settings through second grade. Articles include: (1) "Emergent Literacy: New Perspectives" (William H. Teale and Elizabeth Sulzby); (2) "Oral Language and Literacy Development" (Susan Mandel Glazer); (3) "Family Storybook Reading: Implications for Children, Families, and Curriculum" (Dorothy S. Strickland and Denny Taylor); (4) "Literature for Young Children" (Bernice E. Cullinan); (5) "Reading to Kindergarten Children" (Jana M. Mason and others); (6) "Emergent Writing in the Classroom: Home and School Connections" (Elizabeth Sulzby and others); (7) "Is it Reasonable...? A Photo Essay" (Nancy Roser and others); (8) "The Place of Specific Skills in Preschool and Kindergarten" (Judith A. Schickedanz); (9) "Assessment of Young Children's Reading: Documentation as an Alternative to Testing" (Edward Chittenden and Rosalea Courtney); (10) "Designing the Classroom to Promote Literacy Development" (Lesley Mandel Morrow); (11) "A Model for Change: Framework for an Emergent Literacy Curriculum" (Dorothy S. Strickland); and (12)"Fostering Needed Change in Early Literacy Programs" (Jerome C. Harste and Virginia A. Woodward). An appendix contains a statement of concerns about present practices in prefirst grade reading instruction and recommendations for improvement. (RS)