Rethinking Early Literacies Reading and Rewriting Worlds

Rethinking Early Literacies honors the identities of young children as they read, write, speak, and play across various spaces, in and out of pre/school. Despite narrow curricular mandates and policies, the book highlights the language resources and tools that children cultivate from families, communities, and peers. The chapters feature children’s linguistic flexibility with multiple languages, creative appropriation of popular culture, participation in community literacy practices, and social negotiation in the context of play. Throughout the book, the authors critically reframe what it means to be literate in contemporary society, specifically discussing the role of educators in theorizing and rethinking language ideologies for practice. Issues influencing early childhood education in trans/national contexts are forefronted (e.g. racism, immigration rights, readiness) throughout the book, with a call to support and sustain communities of color.

Part I: Young Children as Literate Beings 1. Identity, Culture, and Agency 2.Reading and Rewriting Worlds and Words 3. Multiple Literacies and Language Competencies Across Young Children’s Social Contexts Part II: Spaces of Belonging: Relational Literacies 4.Languages and Literacies in Families and Homes 5. Languages and Literacies in Neighborhoods and Communities 6. Languages and Literacies in Peer Culture Part III: Rethinking Early Literacies: Children’s Literate Identities in Contemporary Times 7.Rethinking (Pre)School Literacies 8. Reproducing and Challenging Societal Literacies 9. Orchestrating Complex Literacies: Considering the Power of Young Children’s Repertoires and Identities

Mariana Souto-Manning is Associate Professor and Director of the Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education Programs at Teachers College, Columbia University, USA. Haeny S. Yoon is Assistant Professor in the Early Childhood Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, USA.