"One of the main conclusions in the book
is that it is not just the presence of print for the child, it's the actual
use of print that allows the learning to take place," she said. "Young
children are paying attention to the people in their close circle or environment.
They don't know in those very young ages that other people are reading
and writing. To them, their world is what they experience where they live.
And where the kids like Donny were living, no one read or wrote. So to
them, reading and writing was not even something to reject. It didn't
exist until they went to school.