Early Literacy

US: Harvard University Press, 1990. Paperback. Good. Four-year-old Joshua challenges his father to a game: Can he come downstair s before Joshua writes the word to? Rachel, two and a half, makes a series of wavy lines on a piece of paper and calls it a "thank-you letter to Grand ma." In Early Literacy Joan McLane and Gillian McNamee explore the ways you ng children like Joshua and Rachel begin to learn about written language. B ecoming literate requires mastering a complex set of skills, behaviors, and attitudes that makes it possible to receive and communicate meaning throug h the written word. McLane and McNamee provide a fresh examination of this process in light of recent research. The authors look closely at what young children do with writing and reading . As children play with making marks on paper and listen to stories being r ead aloud, they begin to discover uses and purposes for written language. T hey learn that they can use writing to communicate with people they care ab out and that reading story books opens up new ideas and experiences. As chi ldren experiment with writing and reading in their talking, drawing, and pr etend play, they can build "bridges to literacy." The authors emphasize the importance of children's relationships with signi ficant adults and peers for growth in literacy. They also devote chapters t o early literacy development at home and in the neighborhood, and in presch ool and kindergarten settings. In one daycare center for inner-city childre n, for example, where a favorite activity is dictating and acting out stori es, children become active participants in a community of readers and write rsâ??a literate culture. Through its clear and concise discu.