This volume helps parents and early childhood educators understand the nature of early literacy at home and at school. Ways in which nursery school structures support and extend childrens's literacy are explored. This volume, based on an 18-month ethnographic study of story reading and other literacy events in nursery school, describes parents' attitudes, beliefs, and values about literacy, nursery school organization of time and space, how reading and writing is used by nursery school participants and how story reading events help children learn to make sense of books and use books to learn about the world.