Noting that in the beginning stages of reading it is helpful for children to be surrounded by the written word and to be read to by adults, this article offers brief encapsulations of and responses to five articles about beginning reading and reading readiness. The five articles are as follows: (1) "Three-Year-Olds in Their Reading Corner" by Juanine Miller; (2) "Four 'Teachable' Reading Readiness Skills" by J. Michael Palardy; (3) "'I Guess They Do Listen'" by Charles A. Elster; (4) "Storybook Reading as a Social Practice" by Phillips and McNaughton; and (5) "Learning to Read and Write the Natural Way" by Elisabeth A. Franklin. (SR)