This report details a year-long study of the emerging literacy of preschoolers and kindergarteners in two southwest Florida communities. Using a quasi-experimental design, investigation focused on two preschools and two kindergarten classes that implemented certain strategies associated with a whole language philosophy, including daily shared reading experiences and weekly opportunities to write freely. The classes and matched comparison groups were pretested and posttested with qualitative and quantitative measures, including the Goodman Book Handling Task, a story retelling inventory, the Metropolitan Early School Inventory (ESI), and the Metropolitan Readiness Test. Findings indicated that the preschool experimental classes performed significantly better than comparison groups on the Goodman Book Handling task, the story retelling inventory, and on subtest C of the ESI. Kindergarten experimental classes performed better than their comparison groups on the Goodman Book Handling task, subtests B, C, E, and F of the Metropolitan ESI, and the Metropolitan Readiness Test. Experimental subjects not only knew more than their comparison peers on meaningful aspects of reading, but exhibited enthusiasm for books and stories, and were observed developing attitudes toward literacy that are not measurable. Over 35 references are cited. (Author/RH)