This book concerns the growth of a single child, as reported by her mother, from her first encounters with books and print to the beginnings of independent reading and writing. The study took place mainly between the child's third and fourth birthdays, during which period weekly tape recordings were made of story-reading sessions with one or both of her parents. Samples of her writing were also collected, and notes were made of relevant comments. The tape recordings generally reflected the child's spontaneous interest in a particular book and were not taken at fixed times of the day. The mother viewed her child as a maker of hypotheses, active in her own growth, and as someone who tests and amends her comprehension on the basis of varied experiences. (RH)