Lea M. McGee, EdD, is Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Alabama. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in children's literature, beginning reading and language arts, and foundations of language and literacy development. Dr. McGee is coauthor of [i]Literacy's Beginnings: Supporting Young Readers and Writers[/i] and [i]Designing Early Literacy Programs: Strategies for At-Risk Preschool and Kindergarten Children[/i] (both with Donald J. Richgels), and of [i]Teaching Reading with Literature: Case Studies to Action Plans[/i] (with Gail Tompkins). She has published dozens of articles and book chapters in a variety of journals, including [i]The Reading Teacher[/i],… [i]Language Arts[/i], and [i]Reading Research Quarterly[/i]. She is also past president of the National Reading Conference. Lesley Mandel Morrow, PhD, holds the rank of Professor II at Rutgers University's Graduate School of Education, where she is also coordinator of the literacy program. She began her career as a classroom teacher, then became a reading specialist, and later received her doctorate from Fordham University. Her area of research focuses on early literacy development and the organization and management of language arts programs. Her research is carried out with children and families from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Morrow has more than 200 publications, including journal articles, book chapters, and books, most recently [i]Literacy Development in the Early Years: Helping Children Read and Write[/i], [i]Literacy and Young Children: Research-Based Practices[/i] (coedited with Diane M. Barone), [i]Organizing and Managing the Language Arts Block: A Professional Development Guide[/i], and [i]The Literacy Center: Contexts for Reading and Writing[/i]. She is also past president of the International Reading Association.