Celebrate National Reading Month!

March is National Reading Month, and organizations all over the U.S. are commemorating it with activities to spread the love of reading. The National Education Association celebrated Read Across America Day on March 3 with fun events in schools, libraries, and community centers around the country. And the nonprofit organization Read Aloud 15 Minutes, whose mission is to “make reading aloud every day for at least 15 minutes the new standard in child care,” has gone a step further and declared March National Read Aloud Month! The organization’s central message is that . . .

When every child is read aloud to for 15 minutes every day from birth, more children will be ready to learn when they enter kindergarten, more children will have the literacy skills needed to succeed in school, and more children will be prepared for a productive and meaningful life after school.

Hear, hear! And of course we have to add that this 15 minutes of reading time with your child can begin even before birth. In the last three months of pregnancy, when the baby’s brain and auditory system are already developed enough for her to hear and recognize sounds, you can start practicing this important reading routine and start enjoying the feeling of sharing the love of language with your child.

We gave our friends the opportunity to test-drive our new book, Can’t Wait to Show You, while it was still in prototype form. They soon got used to the rather odd feeling of reading to an unseen audience and began to make an emotional connection to the story itself. The pleasure of the rhymes and rhythms was multiplied by their knowledge that the baby inside was taking it all in and might remember it after birth.

Lo and behold, when their baby was born they soon got a chance to see the magic for themselves. They read Can’t Wait to Show You to the newborn on a fussy day and were amazed to see him settle down and attend to the familiar words. Reading time continues to be a cherished part of their day and these proud parents say this is one of their little boy’s favorite books. This new family wholeheartedly agrees, It’s Never Too Early to Read to Your Baby!

So, from all your little friends at Belly Books, Happy National Reading  Month!