Maryanne Wolf's early literacy knowledge is based on her research into deep reading and on periods of enlightened linguistic processes. In her own rich language of conveyance, she brought great inspiration to the Montessori teachers at the Columbia, South Carolina conference. Her presentation on the research of early reading, the acquisition of cognitive and affective skills, optimal exposure to books, and the benefits of reading out-loud corroborates precisely with Montessori theory and practice. She also documented the power of focused, joint attention between the adult reader and child as a key developmental force in the formation of early literacy. In this extract from her newest book, Wolf writes of the developmental phases a child goes through, from prereading to linguistic awareness, and the importance of a literate environment to increasing the scope of early reading. Literacy expands the child's world beyond cognitive ability as it opens communication, symbolism, and immersion into the imagination of literature. [Reprinted, with permission, from Chapter 3 of "Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century" by Maryanne Wolf with Stephanie Gottwald, 2016, Oxford University Press.]