Reading, Writing, and Talk : Teaching for Equity and Justice in the Early Grades

2025 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

"Souto-Manning once again demonstrates that it is never too early to help our students understand the complexities of inequity. This is the text that early childhood educators need."―Gloria Ladson-Billings, author of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

“A timely and powerful reminder. We need this second edition more than ever before.” ―H. Richard Milner IV, Vanderbilt University

“This compelling new edition is a must-read for all early childhood teachers." ― Lester W. Young Jr., chancellor, NYS Board of Regents

This new edition of the bestseller Reading, Writing, and Talk responds to the urgent need for creating language and literacy pathways that are inclusive, intentional, and center wholeness and belonging.

The authors explain, show, and offer critical reflections on the development, teaching, and learning of reading, writing, and talk from preschool through the early grades―across language practices, dis/abilities, and contexts. This second edition troubles whose reading, writing, and talk belongs in schools, offering insights into and examples of fostering belonging in the classroom. It elucidates the racialization of academic language and analyzes school-sponsored language and literacy curricula to demonstrate the power of expansive literacies and linguistic justice in practice. Readers will enter classrooms where teachers learn from and alongside children, families, and communities about identities, practices, values, funds of knowledge, and more.

This thorough update of the popular text offers a wealth of knowledge and examples to help educators truly and fully teach reading, writing, and talk for equity and justice.

Book Features:

• Offers a warm invitation to shift mindsets and consider possibilities for furthering language and literacy development with young children.
• Brings to light powerful concepts like linguistic justice and communicative belonging through powerful classroom scenarios.
• Centers Black, Indigenous, and other children, teachers, families, and communities of color.
• Explains how oral language, reading, and writing develop and can be taught in the early grades across languages (bilingual, multilingual), abilities, and contexts.
• Focuses on constructing classrooms that foster belonging and on teaching for equity and justice.

Mariana Souto-Manning is president of the Erikson Institute. Jessica Martell and Benelly Álvarez are educators in New York City’s public schools.