In this essential collection of readings Teresa Grainger provides carefully chosen journal articles and chapters that offer significant and serious insights into the changing face of literacy. The twenty-five contributors all adopt a broad conception of literacy and contemporary literacy practices and recognise that the world of language and literacy is in a constant state of transition and transformation. Together the authors examine the past the present and the future of literacy and celebrate the interests and expertise of the learners. They acknowledge that the textual environments of today are complex and fluid shaped by the rapid emergence of new technologies and the influential nature of popular culture. Children s engagement with multiple forms of text is also highlighted including the oral the visual the electronic and the written. In addition issues of pedagogy are explored through the voices of teachers parents and children. Many chapters offer particular perspectives based on classroom experience reflection and smaller scale studies The contributors here perceive a common and urgent need to acknowledge diverse forms of living literacy and to redesign the curriculum accordingly. With an inspiring introduction and postscript by the Editor this Reader is an invaluable and accessible companion for all students of literacy.