This 25-chapter anthology includes the ideas of many of the leading authorities on whole language and contains chapters on the meaning of whole language, the skills movement, reading and writing development, and teacher autonomy. Chapters are: "Whole Language: What's New?" (Bess Altwerger and others); "Language Arts Basics: Advocacy vs. Research" (Peter Hasselriis and Dorothy J. Watson); "Examining Instructional Assumptions: The Child as Informant" (Jerome C. Harste and Carolyn L. Burke); "Demonstrations, Engagement and Sensitivity: The Choice between People and Programs" (Frank Smith); "'Burn It at the Casket': Research, Reading Instruction, and Children's Learning of the First R" (Anne M. Bussis); "Early Phonics Instruction: Its Effect on Literacy Development" (Maryann Manning and others); "Reading Comprehension: From Cardboard Keys to Meaningful Text" (Barbara A. Lewis); "When Was 1864? Reading Comprehension--Making It Work" (Maryann Manning and others); "Authentic Language Arts Activities and the Construction of Knowledge" (Maryann Manning and others); "Early Spelling Development: What We Know and What We Do" (Gary Manning and Maryann Manning); "Social Interaction and Invented Spelling" (Constance Kamii and Marie Randazzo); "Kid Watching: An Alternative to Testing" (Yetta M. Goodman); "Literature as the Content of Reading" (Charlotte S. Huck); "Shared Book Experience: Teaching Reading Using Favorite Books" (Don Holdaway); "One-On-One Reading" (Roberta Long and others); "Fifth Graders Respond to a Changed Reading Program" (Cora Lee Five); "All Children Can Write" (Donald H. Graves); "Is That Writing--Or Are Those Marks Just a Figment of Your Curriculum?" (Carole Edelsky and Karen Smith); "Write? Isn't This Reading Class?" (Marie Dionisio); "Dialogue Journals: A Tool for ESL Teaching" (David L. Wallace); "The Author's Chair" (Don Graves and Jane Hansen); "Beyond Basal Readers: Taking Charge of Your Own Teaching" (Kenneth S. Goodman); "Restoring Power to Teachers: The Impact of 'Whole Language'" (Sharon J. Rich); "A Reflection on Reflective Practice in Teaching Reading and Writing" (Bernice J. Wolfson); "In the Process of Becoming Process Teachers" (Gary Manning and others). (RS)