Abstract

The home environment is an important contributor to children’s literacy experiences. One activity that is frequently investigated is parent-child storybook reading. However, despite the extant research, the quality of these book-reading interactions has often been overlooked. Therefore, the present study examined the quality of book-reading sessions between 60 parent-child dyads recruited from local schools in Montréal, Canada. Storybook reading sessions were recorded and behaviours were coded for types of talk (immediate, non-immediate, illustration production, and print referencing) and engagement (behaviours showing enjoyment in the reading session). The results of hierarchical multiple regressions demonstrated that parents’ non-immediate talk and engagement accounted for unique variance in children’s non-immediate talk and engagement, above and beyond children’s own behaviours. Parallel regressions demonstrated that children’s non-immediate talk and engagement accounted for unique variance in parents’ non-immediate talk and engagement, above and beyond parents’ own behaviours. These results emphasize the reciprocal role that both parents and children play during storybook reading activities. Implications for parents’ practises are discussed.