Before Words

In this book, the author challenges reductive views of emergent literacy prevalent in many of today’s kindergarten and pre–K classrooms. As an alternative, Lysaker explains how reading wordless books with young children helps them to develop a range of comprehension abilities that are important for understanding narrative texts. Readers will find concrete methods to help them gauge, document, and respond to children as they make meaning of and respond to wordless books. Through description and analysis, the text reveals the undervalued richness of young children’s emergent comprehension and the intricate, purposeful nature of their specific early thinking activities. Before Words encourages readers to think about young children’s comprehension as complex meaning-making and suggests new ways of responding to the unique sense-making tools young children use during wordless book reading.

Book Features:
Demonstrates how young children develop reading comprehension abilities even before learning to read print.Expands on reading as more than just a technical skill.Engages the whole child and scaffolds their formation of relationships with other people, including peers, teachers, families, and communities.Nurtures students’ creativity, positive relationships with storytelling, and social-emotional growth.Offers guidance for building a wordless book library, including a selected list of books.
“A breakthrough work. Prepare to have your mind opened to completely new terrain in children’s literate development.”
—From the Foreword by Peter Johnston, The University at Albany–SUNY

“Before Words is a kidwatcher’s delight! Her sensitive descriptions of reading conversations provide concrete strategies that will be welcome additions to both novice and experienced teachers’ toolkits!”
—Deborah Wells Rowe, Vanderbilt University

“Scholars of early childhood literacy development will find much of interest in this book.”
—Nell K. Duke, University of Michigan