ABSTRACT
My interest in the question of how book reading affects young children’s reading development goes back to my experiences as a reading specialist in an Amsterdam inner-city neighborhood. The low level of reading accomplishment in this neighborhood made me realize that one cannot become a conventional reader by systematic reading instruction alone. Despite a strong emphasis on phonics and extra practice for children who lagged behind, I saw the majority of these immigrant and low-income Dutch children get bogged down in the lower levels of reading accomplishment.
