Children learn to make sense of the babble around them and become coherent speakers and incipient readers in just five or six years. In this remarkable book, linguist Naomi Baron takes us on a journey through language, showing the variety of ways in which children crack the language code and master the means of expression, and how parents play a vital role in the process. Every parent will see something of his or her child in the numerous and vivid examples; those whose kids don't fit preconceived norms will find reassurance and guidance in these pages. Spiced with enchanting examples of children putting their first words together, struggling to understand meaning, and coming to use language as a creative tool, reminds us that underneath all their efforts is the drive to make sense of the world.