We know that children from disadvantaged groups are at risk of marginalisation in the school system (Bynner and Parsons 2006). Given that many studies have acknowledged the value of the home in promoting young children’s literacy (Cameron and Gillen, 2013; Perregaard, 2010), many interventions have therefore been developed with the intention of encouraging parents, and particularly those from low socio-economic groups, to engage in activities such as shared reading with their children. However, this paper argues that interventions such as these may contribute further towards the marginalisation of these children, as they promote a narrow ‘schooled’ definition of reading, which itself can undermine children’s home literacy practices from their earliest years (Levy, 2008). Drawing on recent research with 29 families with pre-school children, living in disadvantaged areas of two cities in the UK, this paper shows how shared reading practices in the home are relational, meaning that they are influenced by factors such as the parent-child relationship and the parents’ own cultural traditions. While this is a positive finding, it also raises serious concerns about the impact of schooled constructions of reading on shared reading practices in the home, when children move into formal education. Implications for intervention are discussed.

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