To gather information on the relationship of parent behavior during reading situations to preschool children's cognitive ability, a study of 12 female and 9 male preschool children and their parents was undertaken. Children were administered a battery of tests that measured intelligence, creativity, perceived self-competence, and language skills. Parent-child interactions during reading time were assessed by videotaping parents while they read two stories to their children, one containing words and concepts easy for the child to understand, the other containing vocabulary and concepts developmentally advanced for the child. These sessions were qualitatively assessed according to nine variables, which were: parents' adjustment to the child's needs, feedback, verbal stimulation, type of utterances outside of reading, and consistency of storytelling; children's orientation and level of utterances; general interaction; and length of interaction. Finally, questionnaires completed by parents provided information on the quantity of home reading, the dynamics of parent-child reading sessions, and parents' reading practices. Results revealed significant relationships between the quantity of parent-child reading interactions and the child's level of vocabulary development. Children's creativity was related to the quality of parent-child reading interactions, and children's perceived competence was related to both the quantity and quality of parent-child reading. The parent questionnaire and qualitative rating scales for reading activities are appended. (BCY)