Borders Bookshop: Quaker Bridge Mall, Mercer CountyImages taken March 2008

Magazines

Parenting, pregnancy, family & health: likely target audience - mothersWomens fashion & lifestyle: likely target audience women from teens to 30sBusiness, finance, current affairs: likely target audience adult men

Parenting magazines close-upFeature articles foreground gender, place, intelligence, knowledge about babiesReader addressed as you. Ambiguous reference to fathers addressee or object?

Signs simultaneously subdivide the space and the discursive field of CLLD

Parenting books

Expect books also popular in Australia.Lots of images of naked babies.Inclusive re race and hearing impaired Emphasis on the first year as one in which parents might panic and will require week by week guidance.Pregnancy and Infancy

Parenting books problematic childrenMedical/psych labels to name problems ADD, bipolar, autismMedical/spiritual echoes of healingImages of the problem in family terms (parent-child conflict) & of the solution (happy families)Multiple constructions of expertise & authority

Early learning materials

Diverse & hybrid text types, modalities and technologies cards, stickers, DVDs, computers, etc

Cross-media links

Range of price points with discounting, bargains and loyalty schemes to encourage purchase & repeat business. Encourages parents to think of CLLD resources as consumables.

The dominant visual vocabulary of primary colours and media characters creates a sense of sameness in these materials. However, the language hints at tensions in the theories of CLLD that are promoted.The Step into reading series is underpinned by developmentalism with focus on stages and specifically the stage of readiness. It is implied that all children progress in a similar way.On the other hand Hooked on Phonics refers to readiness as something that has to be produced and offers a guarantee. The image suggests that black mothers are particularly targeted for this message.Baby Einstein& similar are based on an accelerated learning discourse with a focus on grasping the earliest opportunity to build competencies. It implies that the children of those who wait will not be as successful. It is never too early but soon it may be too late!

Learn to Read I Can Read

Progression from learning to mastery or is that a jump?The age of the reader and the nature of competence shifts between and within texts

Images of parents with childrenMothers mostly appear in dyads, reading or just being close. Fathers more often appear with whole family groups in texts related to behaviour & discipline. Parents also appear as authors/experts.

Smart families producing smart children

AbsencesLanguages other than EnglishImages of ethnicities other than Anglo/White & African-AmericanImages of fathers engaged in literacy with childrenReferences to particular places/localities