Emphasizing the constructive role teachers pay in children's literacy development, this book provides a clear and richly illustrated description of children's writing development from preschool through approximately fourth grade. The book, divided into the three sections covering beginning writing, spelling, and composition, consists of the following chapters: (1) "A Child Discovers How to Write"; (2) "The Precursors of Writing"; (3) "Features of Children's Early Writing"; (4) "What Children Do with Early Graphics"; (5) "Invented Spelling"; (6) "Learning Standard Spelling"; (7) "Making Progress in Spelling"; (8) "The Functions and Forms in Children's Composition"; (9) "Writing in the Poetic Mode"; (10) "Approaching the Transactional Mode"; and (11) "Writing: The Child, the Teacher, and the Class." The epilogue is entitled "Playing with Literature and Language: Amy's Story." An appendix provides information on publishing possibilities for children's writing, and a section on suggestions for further reading is included. (MM)