Reading is Love

If you are looking for a Valentine’s Day gift for your child, consider a book. New reports show that 31% of fourth-grade students read at or above the National Assessment of Educational Progress levels. Yikes. Babies don’t fare much better. According to the 2023 State of Babies Yearbook, only 41.9 % of Minnesota babies are read to every day (37.4% nationally).

Reading to your child is an act of love. Snuggle up with your baby as you show her the pictures in a board book. Watch your 7-9 month old start turning the pages. Ask questions and talk about what’s happening in the story. Older kids still love to be read to or let them practice their skills by reading a book out loud to you or their little sibling.

Here are a few fan favorites for the board book audience:

• I Love You Like No Otter by Rossner and Hanson

• I Love You Spot by Hill

• I Already Love You by Perlman and Walker

Reading to little ones is SO important that I’ve included an entire module on early literacy in the Stork School for Expectant Parents course. Join the Valentine’s cohort today by emailing us at hello@bevgillen.com.