1. Introduction; Part I. Literacy Acquisition: The Child, the Family and Diversity in the Modern World: 2. Literacy acquisition in the early years: past, present and future; 3. When should children start literacy learning?; 4. Family literacies and relationships with centres and schools; 5. Multiliteracies: growing the next generation of readers; 6. Diverse classrooms and learning in bilingual and multicultural/multilingual settings; Part II.

Learning about Literacy in Early Childhood Settings: 7. Effective practice and the role of teachers in supporting literacy; 8. 'Sound' foundations for learning literacy; 9. Uses of assessment before, during and after transition to school; Part III. Literacy Learning in the Primary School: 10. The first year of primary schooling: building on foundations; 11. Establishing a community of readers; 12. Uses of assessment in the primary school years; 13.

Reading and writing in the primary school: focus on narrative writing; Part IV. Literacy Learning in the Senior Primary School: 14. Extending reading and writing in the senior primary school: focus on factual writing; 15. Struggling readers: issues and solutions; 16. Conclusion.