ABSTRACT
Children's earliest literacy learning takes place in a broad landscape within which books are only one part. The narratives and characters from television and video have a hugely significant impact on children's lives. So too does the environmental print that they encounter in many different contexts – at the supermarket, on television, and at mealtimes (the Macdonalds logo is a much-quoted piece of such early learning!). These influences and contexts overlap so ‘My Little Pony’ preens herself on plastic lunch boxes and ‘Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles’ leap across packets of juice. Both play a role in establishing children's first understanding of what reading is all about.
