ABSTRACT
In late twentieth century Britain, a paradigm of early literacy prevails within which the home 'story-reading' experience, taking place between parent and child, is seen as an essential prerequisite for later school success. During the 1970s, responsibility for children's early educational success shifted noticeably from the school to the parents and the family environment. For the older generation, parental participation in their children's reading took two forms: passing down literacy-related knowledge in the widest sense and enabling access for the child to learn from other mediators of literacy, through encouragement and provision of opportunity. The passing down of literacy-related practices highlights the variety of skills that do not involve traditional story-reading or the presence of 'good' literature. Finally, research across generations can trace the transformation and change in people's lives, their literacy development, the cultural and literacy practices in which they participate at different times, and the contrast of their involvement in children's reading versus that of their parents.
