Raising a Reader: In a Nutshell

First, read to your child. From the first months on through the teen years, as long as they will welcome you reading to them. One of my children lost interest in reading for a brief time in middle school and I began once again to read to him every night before bed. We began with the amazing LionBoy series by Zizou Corder, and ended after two years with 1776 by David McCullough. By that time, he was back in love with reading, and wanted to read on his own. The hardest part of our nightly reading sessions was keeping my promise to him that I would not read ahead while he slept but would wait for the next evening to pick up where we had left off.

Second, fill your home with books. Every room should have books of all types. Make books and reading as natural and easy as breathing and eating. Secondhand books, library books, brand new books (every birthday and holiday can be celebrated with the gift of a book — or a gift card to choose a book — see below). Have books always available in the car, along with audio books.

In October, bring out the Halloween books, and return them to a closet for the rest of the year: your children will look forward to seeing them again, year after year. Every holiday can have its own special collection of books, stored away for 11 months of the year and returning annually, dusted up and ready for re-reading.