This publication deals with practical areas of early reading in instruction that may be of immediate use to practitioners. The first chapter offers a perspective on current theories of reading instruction, and subsequent chapters deal with topics that are often considered controversial among those who teach reading. Discussed are the learning processes of young children, reading readiness, the pros and cons of using basal readers, phonics instruction, linguistic science and reading instruction, miscue analysis, and dialects and early reading instruction. The final chapter bridges the span between the past and the future of reading instruction. (AEA)