CONTENTS -- FIGURE CAPTIONS -- PREFACE -- PART I. RESEARCH FOUNDATIONS -- 1. Play and the Emergence of Literacy by Nigel Hall -- 2. Psychological Research on Play: Connections with Early Literacy Development by James F. Christie -- PART II. PLAY'S ROLE IN EARLY LITERACY DEVELOPMENT -- 3. Longitudinal Relations among Preschoolers' Symbolic Play, Metalinguistic Verbs, and Emergent Literacy by A.D. Pellegrini and Lee Galda -- 4. Thematic-Fantasy Play and Story Comprehension by Peter A. Williamson and Steven B. Silvern -- 5. "But It Ain't Real!": Pretense in Children's Play and Literacy Development by Amanda Branscombe -- PART III. EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS -- 6. Classroom Literature Activities and Kindergartners' Dramatic Story Reenactments by Miriam Martinez, Markay Cheyney, and William H. Teale -- 7. Preparing the Classroom Environment to Promote Literacy during Play by Lesley Mandel Morrow and Muriel Rand -- 8. The Influence of Literacy-Enriched Play Centers on Preschoolers' Conceptions of the Functions of Print by Susan B. Neuman and Kathy Roskos -- 9. Symbolic Play: A Source of Meaningful Engagements with Writing and Reading by Carol Taylor Schrader -- 10. Materials and Modeling: Promoting Literacy during Play by Carol Vukelich -- 11. Play and Early Literacy Development: Summary and Discussion by James F. Christie -- INDEX -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Z.