A central theme in this book is that there are many paths to literacy. The materials in this guidebook are intended to encourage those involved in teaching reading and writing to engage in dialogue and reflection with colleagues, to know their students well, to examine their own experiences and beliefs, and to generate and seek answers to their own questions by collaborative study of research. The guidebook builds and expands on two earlier Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) publications: "Learning to Read and Write: A Place To Start" and "Building a Knowledge Base in Reading." To make the guidebook a practical resource that will assist preschool and early elementary teachers and others in the education field, the materials provide a strong link between research and promising practices. The materials are organized into these sections: Learning To Read and Write: A Place To Start; Creating a Caring Community of Learners; Sharing Books with Children: The Heart of the Early Elementary Literacy Program; Teacher Demonstrations of Strategies for Decoding and Word Recognition; Storytelling, Story Acting, and Writing: Essential Language Experience for All Children; Nurturing Emotional and Aesthetic Literacy: Learning To Read the Heart; Monitoring Children's Progress; and Conclusion. Includes a handout section. Appended are a discussion of professional learning teams to enhance teaching and learning; an annotated 77-item list of children's picture books; and an annotated 48-item list of suggested professional resources. (Contains 315 references.) (NKA)