A 9-month naturalistic study of 16 preschoolers' classroom literacy behaviors and a related study of one student's literacy activities at home examined book-related dramatic play as an important part of the children's literacy interactions. Analyses of instances where play was related to the meanings of the books the children had read indicated that each instance of book-related dramatic play could be described in terms of 6 properties: (1) children's purposes for play; (2) the perspective or point of view explored; (3) the type of intertextual ties constructed between books and playscripts; (4) the sign systems used and their relation to book reading events; (5) the kinds of social interaction involved; and (6) the scope of play. Results indicated that the children created direct linkages between their book and play experiences. Further, the data support the hypothesis that book-related dramatic play is much more than a context for literacy learning--it appeared to be a part of the process of comprehending books, expressing reactions, experiencing books in affective and kinesthetic ways, and participating in literacy events. Book-related play also served as a means of inquiry and as a connecting link between the child's world and the adult one. Play provided a relatively risk-free environment for exploration of books through an open, child-directed agenda, and offered an array of possible tools for exploration and expression. (Contains 3 tables of data, 8 examples, and 77 references.) (Author/CR)