This text was designed to provide early childhood teachers with foundational knowledge of how children develop literacy beginning in infancy and continuing through age 8. With an emphasis on the role of oral language in the development of literacy, this text provides clear connections between theoretical perspectives, emergent literacy research, and reflective, developmentally appropriate practice. Information on home-school connections, working with English language learners, and ways of observing and assessing childrenrs"s developing literacy knowledge is embedded throughout the text. Throughout the text, classroom-based examples and scenarios are provided as a way of examining, discussing and evaluating the ways in which teachers can mediate childrenrs"s transactions with literacy.

Beverly Otto, Ph.D., an early childhood educator for over 25 years, is a professor in the Teacher Education Department at Northeastern Illinois University.  She earned her doctorate at Northwestern University in Teaching and Learning Processes with a focus on emergent literacy.  Dr. Otto teaches courses in language and literacy development for preservice and inservice teachers, along with research for classroom teachers. She also serves as advisor for the MAT: Language Arts-Elementary Education and MSI: Language Arts-Elementary programs.  Her major professional goal is preparing teachers to support children’s life-long learning through language and literacy development. Dr. Otto has also served as department chair as well as associate dean in the College of Education.

     Dr. Otto is the author of Language Development in Early Childhood, 2^nd edition (Merrill/Prentice Hall), and has also authored articles published in international, national and state professional journals.  Her field-based research on emergent literacy has been presented at international, national, state, and local conferences. She has served as a consultant to early childhood centers, school districts, as well as the Illinois State Board of Education.