Promoting Emerging Language and Literacy During Storytime.

Parents, librarians and educators alike are invested in children learning to read. The library storytime provides a unique opportunity to introduce skills essential to pre-literacy development. This article reviews the literature on school-aged children and applies these findings as a basis for activities appropriate for pre-readers. Important areas for the development of pre-literacy are identified and explained, including alphabet knowledge, concepts about print, book handling skills, phonological awareness and expressive vocabulary. Specific activities using children's literature for each of these areas are provided.