The Merits of Reading Real Books to Your Children

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by Perri Klass, M.D. August 8, 2016 6:00 am

A new Harry Potter book and a new round of stories about midnight book release parties reminded me of the persistent power of words printed on a page to shape children’s lives.

How do we think about a distinct role for paper, for “book-books” in children’s lives? My own pediatric cause is literacy promotion for young children. I am the national medical director of the program Reach Out and Read, which follows a model of talking with the parents of babies, toddlers and preschoolers about the importance of reading aloud, and giving away a developmentally appropriate children’s book at every checkup.  Read more...

Recommendations to Improve Your Reading Life

Being a reader is a life-long project, and we all want to do it well.
Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the parts of a reader’s life
that feel insurmountable — the TBR list you’ll never complete; the
library hold list you’ll never catch up on; all the amazing books you’ll
never hear about, let alone find and own!




But there are little ways we can enrich our reading lives every day:
small changes we can make or ideas we can try to change up our reading
patterns and find new books to love. Here are forty places to start. Add
your own in the comments below, or try a couple first and then come
tell me how they go. Read more...