In this book, twelve of the world's leading experts on the development of reading and writing skills present a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the current ideas and theoretical work in this field, with the emphasis on the comparison between cognitive psychological scholarship and the sociohistorical perspective. KEY TOPICS: Covers literacy acquisition from early childhood through the period of formal schooling and into adolescence. Contains contributions from both cognitive psychologists and also researchers adopting a Vygotskian perspective.