Reach Out and Read National News

Talahasee Democrat

Reading to babies: recipe for literacy

April 07, 2006
Lee Sanders and Barry Zuckerman

Amari is 6 months old, 30 inches long and sitting by himself for the first time - in a pediatric exam room in Miami. His father is 20 years old, 6 feet 6 inches, and standing aloof in the corner of the room.

Before his infant check-up, I hand Amari a sturdy children's board book. Amari's eyes light up. He reaches for the book, grasping it in both hands. Ever so gently, curiously, Amari begins to chew on the book. His mother takes the book away. "Don't eat the book!" she says, half-embarrassed.

"It's OK," I say. I explain that's why infants like board books: They don't fall apart when chewed. "Eating a book is the first step in learning to read. Amari is feeding his brain!"

Mom laughs, but not Dad.

I help Amari open the book, which, at half his body's size, envelopes him. I point to the picture of a baby on the page. "Where's the baby's nose?" I say in the sing-songy voice that all babies love. He is transfixed.

"How many books do you have for Amari at home?" I ask Amari's father. He responds with a shrug. "Let me show you something."

I gently coax Dad to sit down, and I place Amari in his lap with book in tow. "Read to him."

He laughs and begins, haltingly, to point at the pictures and to talk with his son. I put my stethoscope on Amari's chest and progress through the rest of his physical exam. Amari doesn't cry or fuss; he's too busy listening to his father's voice.

Three months later, Amari returns for his next check-up. His parents want to know whether or not he'll get another book. Adds Amari's mother, "I want you to know that the last visit was the first time I saw my husband really talk with Amari. Now he reads with him every day. Thank you so much."

Reading aloud to children under age 5 is essential to prepare them for school. Yet, only one in three pre-school-aged children in this country is read to routinely. Those who aren't read to are most likely to be among the millions of school-aged children who read below grade level.

Doctors across Florida and the country are working to change this. Through Reach Out and Read, doctors are trained to give free books to children at each well child check-up from 6 months to 5 years, and to advise their parents about the importance of reading aloud to their children.

Reach Out and Read focuses on those children at greatest risk - children living at or near poverty. Through Reach Out and Read, doctors distribute carefully selected new and developmentally appropriate books starting with board books for babies and moving on to more complex picture books for preschoolers.

With bilingual books available in 12 languages, each child who participates starts kindergarten with a home library of up to 10 new, culturally- and age-appropriate books and a parent who has heard at every well-child visit about the importance of books and reading. The book from the doctor is not only a gift but also a tool for the doctor to assess the child's brain development. A 6-month-old like Amari should follow an adult's finger when it points to pictures on a page. A 1-year-old should be turning those sturdy pages. An 18-month-old should know to hold a book right-side up. A 3-year-old should pretend to read.

Research shows that the program works. Parents who get books and literacy counseling from their doctors and nurses are more likely to read to their young children, read to them more often and provide more books in the home. Low-income children exposed to Reach Out and Read also show improvements in language scores.

Currently, 648 Florida doctors participate in Reach Out and Read, distributing 172,908 books to 131,557 low-income infants, toddlers and preschoolers at 142 medical clinics.

In partnership with Just Read Florida, a proposal to increase Reach Out and Read's funding to reach 25,000 additional children is awaiting action by the Florida Senate. If the Senate approves the $200,000 in state funding approved by the House, the money would be matched on a two-to-one basis by federal and private dollars.

Making books a routine part of pediatric care doesn't cost much, but it's worth every penny. Just ask Amari. He came in recently for his 5-year-old kindergarten check-up, telling me about all his favorite books.

"He just began to read," his father announced. "On his own!"