There's an abundance of research linking children's success in learning to read with their parents' practice of reading to them. It's not that reading aloud magically teaches letters, sounds and words. The benefits are more complex than that. For example:

• As you read stories and talk about them, your child gets used to making sense of a plot that unfolds by means of language rather than through pictures (as in the case of TV). For although pictures play a large part in children's books, most stories call upon the reader or listener to imagine scenes and actions described in words. Your child needs this skill to read with full understanding.
• In listening to stories, your child becomes accustomed to language that is often more complex and varied than the language of everyday conversation.
• The stories can expand your child's horizons, taking him or her into faraway places, other times and new situations.
• The story session, unlike the TV experience, can include time-outs for questions, explanations and rereading "fun parts."

Of course, the best reason of all for reading to your child is a rather simple one: to have a really good time together. It's an opportunity to give your child important individual attention -- while the two of you share in adventures, ideas and experiences that you can recall and talk about later on.

You can make your read-aloud time even more enjoyable and effective with just a bit of extra care.

Try your best to prepare for read-aloud time by reading the book first. If the book you read to your child is one you know you enjoy, it will be a much better experience all around. And your preview may help you inject a bit of "show biz" into your reading -- matching your tone to the mood, changing your voice to portray various characters.

For more information visit: American Library Association