This report describes a study on the development of children's conceptualizations of written language, that is, their graphic sense. The study investigated three issues: (1) whether acquisition of literacy is a developmental process common to all normal children, (2) whether the levels of graphic sense tend to be associated with particular sociographic background variables, and (3) whether a relationship can be demonstrated between graphic sense level and performance on traditional measures of readiness and achievement. A total sample of 114 children from kindergarten and first grade were chosen. Of these, 43 children were in the general school enrollment and the others were from the bilingual education program of Calistoga in Napa Valley (California). A card sorting task was devised to test the development of the children's graphic sense. Data were also collected on the children's socialization to literacy, reading readiness and achievement, and oral language proficiency. The data and results of analyses are discussed at length. It was found that: (1) graphic sense is developed by all children, (2) the level of graphic sense is strongly related to the nature of a child's exposure to written language at home, and (3) there is no demonstrated relationship between graphic sense and readiness for school. (AMH)