To Örebro University

This study examines a phenomenon that appears to be unexplored in previous research on reading aloud to toddlers in ECEC: “waking up to a book." Research builds on previous studies emphasizing the potential of children's books and reading aloud for teaching and research highlighting read aloud practices associated with the period after sleeping time in ECEC settings (Grunditzs, 2013). Theoretically, the study adopts a sociocultural perspective on communication and learning (Säljö, 2010; Linell, 2009), and affordance theory (Gibson, 1979) to analyze what opportunities, engagement, and care that are offered. The study has a qualitative approach. Data consist of video recorded read aloud sequences (N=4,5 h). The transcribed sequences serve as the foundation for analysis of affordances. The project has been approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. The ECEC participants and the children's parents have been informed and have given their consent to participate in accordance with ethical considerations of confidentiality (Swedish Research Council, 2024). We have applied the ethical code for EC researchers (Bertram et al., 2024). Consideration has been given to any indications from participants expressing not to be video recorded. Results indicate that the reading aloud practices of 'waking up to a book,' are characterized by flexibility and situation-specific goal orientation, where a holistic approach to being responsive to the children's needs and supporting their participation is central. Findings contribute knowledge on how a previously unexplored form of read aloud can function as an educational resource to support toddlers’ interest in books and reading together with peers.