This is a must have book for any elementary teacher who teaches reading as a part of their curriculum. Guided Reading provides an integrated framework for teaching reading and writing to young learners. Fountas and Pinnell have assembled a wonderful reference for teachers to begin and develop a literacy curriculum with guided reading as the base. This book is an excellent resource for the novice teacher as well as the seasoned teacher looking for professional development, growth and new classroom opportunities.

Fountas and Pinnell believe that all children can become literate if provided the proper support and level of challenge. In order to become literate, children and teachers must be part of the ongoing circle of assessing, evaluating, developing, and planning. Fountas and Pinnell illustrate the following tenets through out Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for all Children:

*Children and teachers need to be engaged daily in reading and writing on various levels of support, shared, interactive, guided and independent.

*Ongoing formal and informal assessments are designed to provide teachers with continuous feedback allowing them to improve instruction and meet the needs of students.

*There are specific observable behaviors for teachers to be aware of to determine if a text is too easy or difficult for a child. That information is then used to create a more informed decision regarding instruction, curriculum, and grouping.

In closing, the following "golden lines" illustrate the philosophy behind Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for all Children.

"Enabling children to use what they know to get to what they do not yet know is a basic principle of this education."

"Children learn best when they are responsible for their own learning."

"The logic by which we teach is not always the logic by which children learn." Glenda Bissex

"Children's reading behavior gives us a window on the reading process."