Dylan’s Routes to Literacy: the First Three Years with Picture Books

This case study of the process of sharing picture books with a child in the first three years of his life at home with parents and visiting grandparents attempts to capture something of the rich detail of the experience. The setting for the study is an English/American household in England and Dylan is the first-born child of professional parents. After locating the study in the context of some of the existing research literature about sharing books with babies, the article focuses on Dylan’s unique responses to picture books and has a developmental emphasis, reflected in the month-by-month observations. The possible significance of particular books for this child and the role of other print materials are discussed. Certain themes that recur in Dylan’s personal routes to literacy are analysed and the article concludes with some indicators of the wider implications of the study for the learning and teaching of literacy in the early years.