About the Book
Laying a Strong Foundation for Literacy in the Early Years
A child’s literacy development begins long before their formal education does. The skills and knowledge that infants, toddlers, and preschoolers acquire through meaningful, playful language and literacy experiences are the building blocks of their later success in reading and writing.
How do early childhood educators foster young children’s understanding of reading and writing during this emergent literacy period? Moreover, how can they nurture a love of reading and writing? With these two questions at its core, the revised edition of this bestselling resource provides
A comprehensive and updated overview of what literacy development looks like for children from birth through age 5
Instructional approaches that support robust early language, literacy, and content knowledge learning
Considerations for choosing and sharing materials and for designing the physical environment in ways that support language and literacy learning
Recommendations for developmentally appropriate books that engage children’s minds and imaginations
Authentic writing samples that showcase young children’s thinking around and explorations with mark making
Grounded in new research and drawn from the authors’ extensive experience, this book gives educators the tools they need to create and build on learning opportunities that will lead to thriving, motivated readers and writers.
Table of Contents:
About the Authors
About the Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction: A Time to Begin
Part One: Building a Foundation for Reading
Chapter 1: What’s Involved in Learning to Read?
Chapter 2: The Beginning—Reading with Infants and Toddlers
Christina M. Cassano and Jessica L. Hoffman
Chapter 3: Reading Storybooks with Preschoolers
Chapter 4: Sharing Informational Books with Preschoolers
Chapter 5: Young Children and Literacy Skills Development
Part Two: Building a Foundation for Writing
Chapter 6: What's Involved in Writing?
Chapter 7: Infants and Toddlers Leave Their Mark
Chapter 8: Writing During the Preschool Years
List of Children's Literature Cited
References
Index
About the Author :
Molly F. Collins, EdD (Boston University), associate professor of the practice of literacy in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College, has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in cognitive development, language acquisition, linguistics, and storybook reading. She has also provided multiyear professional learning experiences on language and literacy for preschool teachers in national and international settings. Previously, she taught toddlers and preschoolers.
Collins directed early literacy and professional educator projects funded by the US Department of Education, foundations, and universities, and she served as principal investigator for foundation- and university-sponsored grants to explore monolingual and multilingual children's vocabulary learning and comprehension from story reading. She is a member of the American Educational Research Association, the Literacy Research Association, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the Society for Research in Child Development, and she serves as part of the National Early Education Council at Jumpstart.
Judith A. Schickedanz, PhD (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), professor emerita at Boston University, taught courses in child development, early literacy, and curriculum and instruction; served as director of the laboratory preschool; coordinated the early childhood program; and helped launch the Jumpstart volunteer program. She taught preschool and has worked extensively with early childhood teachers on funded projects, including Early Reading First.
Schickedanz has authored numerous articles, book chapters, and books, including Understanding Children and Adolescents (Allyn & Bacon, 2000); Increasing the Power of Instruction (NAEYC, 2008); Writing in Preschool (International Reading Association, 2009); Inside Preschool Classrooms (Harvard Education Press, 2018); and What Are Preschoolers Thinking? (Harvard Education Press, 2022). She lives with her husband, David, in Southern California near their son's family and enjoys their two grandchildren, a 10-year-old and a 3-year-old.
Review :
This book is a masterpiece in early literacy. It eloquently captures the essence of a crucial resource for early childhood educators and families, highlighting its comprehensive approach to fostering both the foundational skills and the intrinsic motivation necessary for lifelong literacy learning. This book plays a pivotal role in guiding educators to support young children’s language and literacy with a holistic approach.
—Myae Han, Professor, University of Delaware
The revised edition of So Much More than the ABCs is a must-read for practicing and prospective teachers, literacy coaches, higher education faculty, and parents who strive to support early literacy development long before formal school instruction begins. Not only does it provide a comprehensive review of what to do and how but also why it should be done. In an accessible and thoughtful fashion, the authors use the research and updated evidence underlying effective strategies and practices to lay the foundation for learning to read and write. Truly this indispensable reference should be on every early childhood practitioner’s bookshelf!
—Catherine Marchant, Early Childhood Instructional Coach and Former Faculty Member, Wheelock College
This well-informed author team has orchestrated a stunning and useful wedding of deep knowledge about early language and literacy development with a rich vision of the sciences of reading and learning. Perfect pairing! Enjoy! Learn!
—P. David Pearson, Evelyn Lois Corey Emeritus Professor of Instructional Science,
Berkeley School of Education, University of California, Berkeley
There are very few books that can draw from solid research, link it to understandable child development theory, and then clearly explain early language and literacy strategies for teachers to bring to their daily classroom practice. This book does all of that. It is essential for anyone in early childhood education.
—Sue Reed, Retired Early Childhood Specialist, Maine Department of Education,
and Former Director of Early Reading First, University of Southern Maine
