Early chapters appraise current educational practices in the teaching of reading and relate these to our present understanding of what it is that children learn when they begin to read. As a central theme, the normal pattern of reading development is compared with disturbed reading development. Later chapters discuss methods of assessing reading ability in individual children out in the classroom with gourps of poor readers. Finally, the book addresses the problems of children who may master the mechanics of reading but fail to understand what they read.

The chapters are written in a readable style by internationally known academic researchers, and the editors have provided introductory and linking pieces for each chapter.