We all want our children to be competent readers. This book by Pam Schiller would be a helpful resource. Children don’t just jump in and know every letter and every word. There is a foundation to be laid at the preschool level. The author divides the learning process into five stages and has a chapter for each. The first stage is “Getting Ready.” In this chapter, the author suggests activities for sound and symbol discernment. It is at this stage that reading aloud to a child is very important. “Comprehending Stories” is the stage at which children hear a story and learn to ask questions and reenact the story. These activities develop higher level thinking skills. “Developing Oral Language” is when the child learns to put their thoughts into words. Activities in this chapter help to develop this skill. Chapter 4 is “Understanding the Functions of Print.” Reading the print on a page is not a one-step process. There are multiple steps which a child must master to be able to read. They need to learn to differentiate between letters, understand why there are spaces, and comprehend the difference between letters, words and sentences. ”Acquiring Reading Skills” is the final stage. It is in this level that it is important to read books with predictable text. These are books with controlled or repeating vocabulary and language. This serves as the bridge between not reading and independent reading. A list of predictable books is provided. Children, at this time, learn sight words and develop an awareness of phonemic sounds. There are approximately 200 pages with suggestions for activities to develop phonics skills. These poems, stories and finger plays all promote identification of letter sounds. The appendix includes assessment checklists, patterns, games, and other resources. This is a fairly all-inclusive book for building your young child’s skills and interest in reading. Softcover, 447 pages. ~ Donna