Intended for teachers in Tasmania, this booklet discusses the importance of providing well chosen books for children at an early age. The booklet suggests that from the earliest years, in home and school, the young child needs a supply of books that are read aloud by adults who encourage the child to talk about the story and the child's experience of the world. The booklet also suggests that during shared investigation of a story the child comes to learn how to handle a book and how books are organized. Chapter titles include: (1) The Imaginative and the Informative in Children's Books; (2) Beyond Initial Reading: Developing the 'Reading' Child; (3) Late Primary Years: The Range Is Immense; and (4) Poetry for Children: The Pleasure of Language. Numerous black and white photographs illustrate the text. (MG)