As parent, reading partner, and social science observer, Shelby Wolf documented countless moments during the preschool and early grade-school years of her two daughters. The Braid of Literature interweaves her careful observations and analysis with Shirley Brice Heath's insightful commentary, drawing on current research in anthropology, linguistics, and cognitive psychology. Together, they have produced an unusual study of two young children who are learning to negotiate between the multiple texts of their everyday lives and their make-believe story worlds. For researchers, this book will serve as a rich resource on a range of interdisciplinary topics. For parents and teachers, it is dramatic confirmation of the important role that literary language can play in children's literacy and socialization.