"An understanding of the way in which children's language and literacy develop is essential when working in an early years setting. This concise and accessible text outlines all the key issues in the area and explains the nature of language, the theories and sequence of language development and the development of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. The book also includes chapters on bilingualism, communication problems and working with the child who is deaf." "Written by authors with many years' teaching in the field, this book will be valuable to all students of early years, health and social care, psychology, nursing and speech therapy courses and practitioners in these fields."--Jacket.