It all starts with you: parents, grandparents, other family members, close friends and neighbors… You have so many opportunities to read to the children in your life; take advantage of them every day. There’s no better way to start kids on a lifetime love of reading – and no better way to secure their future.

It’s never too soon to start. Babies respond to the sound of your voice as you read or sing to them. They also learn about books by touching and holding them, and they connect with the experience of being touched and held themselves. By the time they’re toddlers, they’re connecting written symbols in books with words and meanings, organizing them in space, and developing their language skills.

Some of the most remarkable learning that will ever take place happens “just” by reading to our kids.