The first two sections of this work consider two questions: what does children's writing reveal about their reading experience and competence?; and how can teachers help children to become more careful and critical readers of their own and other people's writing?. In the third section these questions are placed in a theoretical frame which tackles some of the more fundemental issues of culture, language diversity and gender, the relationship between oracy and literacy and how best to help children for whom literacy is a struggle. The final section gives some practical guidance for developing a full and successful literacy curriculum.