Young children are able to read before they experience formal reading instruction. They have unique backgrounds, experiences, and capabilities. As a result, young children need to have reading and writing experiences that are of interest to them and are developmentally appropriate for them, which also include the primary grades. This review examines the concept of emergent literacy in relation to its paradigm and developmentally appropriate literacy practices. It compares the perceptions and definitions of emergent literacy in several countries within the continents. It summarizes the research, history, policy, and practice on early reading instruction such as the national reading panel and national early literacy panel and its indicators of literacy proficiency at a later age. (author abstract)