Best practices for educators of children from birth to 5. Research shows that literacy -- the ability to read, write, listen and speak -- begins developing long before children enter elementary school. From there, it focuses on enjoyable and effective ways to build essential skills, such as oral language and phonemic awareness, and how to create dramatic play areas, books nooks, writing centers, and other literacy-rich spaces. Loaded with photographs, student work, and straight talk about kids and learning, Literacy and the Youngest Learner is destined to become a classic.