ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the literary-centred curriculum. First, it reviews the evidence on the links between book use and literacy, then data on the provision of books in pre-school institutions. An account of a novel approach that can change and presents second supplement to the early childhood curriculum. The third 'structural' difference between the literary theme curriculum and the ordinary free play curriculum is that, because teacher and children both know the story, they have a shared topic for conversation. The curriculum available to children is not in its elements very different from the ordinary free play curriculum. However, there are three significant differences in its structure or organisation: first, the literary-related theme integrates the activities; second, it is run with more explicit mutual agreement on choice of activities between child and teacher; and third, it allows much more shared knowledge between child and teacher and hence much more genuine conversation and discussion.
