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This paper presents a comprehensive framework for examining book use in early childhood settings, including the following dimensions: the book area; the amount of time provided for book reading; integration of books into the broader curriculum; the nature of the book reading events; and the nature of the home-school connection with respect to book use. Data from four studies conducted in New England are used to assess the quality of book use; each dimension shows significant evidence of the need for improvement in how books are used in preschool classrooms. (Contains 4 tables of data and 41 references.) (PM)

Describes 2 points of view about the relationship between oral-language and literacy skills: The phonological sensitivity approach posits that vocabulary provides the basis for phonological sensitivity, which then is the key language ability supporting reading, and the comprehensive language approach posits that varied language skills interact with literacy knowledge and continue to play a vital role in subsequent reading achievement. (Contains 120 references, 4 tables, and 3 figures.) (GCP)