Helping your children enjoy reading is one of the most important things you can do as a parent and well worth the investment of your time and energy. Kids will learn reading skills in school, but often they come to associate reading with work, not pleasure. As a result, they lose their desire to read. And it is that desire - the curiosity and interest - that is the cornerstone to using reading and related skills successfully.

By far the most effective way to encourage children to love books and reading is to read aloud to them, and the earlier you start, the better. Even a baby of a few months can see pictures, listen to your voice, and at some point will be able to turn cardboard pages. Make this time together a special time when you sit close and share the pleasure of a story without the distractions of TV or telephones. You may be surprised to find that a well-written children's book is often as big a delight to you as it is to the kids.

And don't stop taking the time to read aloud once children have learned to read for themselves. At this stage, encourage them to read to you some of the time. This shared enjoyment will continue to strengthen your children's interest and appreciation.

Simply having books, magazines, and newspapers around will help children to view them as part of daily life. And your example of reading frequently and enjoying it will reinforce that view.

While children are still very small, it's a good idea to start a "home library" for them, even if it's just a shelf or two. Be sure to keep some books for little children to handle freely. Consider specially made, extra-durable books for infants, and pick paperbacks and plastic covers for kids who are older but still not quite ready for expensive hardbacks. Allowing little children to touch books will help them to develop strong attachments.

How you handle books will eventually influence how kids treat them. Children imitate, so if they see that you enjoy reading and treat books gently and with respect, it is likely that, in time, they will do the same.

When you read aloud together, choose books that you both like. If a book seems dull, put it down and find one that is appealing.

There are, however, so many children's books in print that making the best selections may seem a formidable task. One approach is to look for award-winning books. There are two famous awards for children's literature made each year by the American Library Association that are good indicators of quality work: the Caldecott Medal for illustration and the Newbery Medal for writing. But these are given to only two of the thousands of children's books published each year.  See our Awards page  for a complete list of Newbery and Caldecott winners - and an easy way to order any of these high quality children's books.

Wonderful help selecting children's books is also available at your neighborhood library. Just ask for help. Children's librarians are trained to help you locate specific books, books that are good for reading aloud, and books on a particular subject recommended for a particular age group. The library also has many book lists, including ones like those mentioned above and possibly some published by the library itself.

In addition, your library may have several journals that regularly review children's books. These will give you an idea of what's new and worth pursuing. And there's nothing like just browsing through the many books available at your library until you find ones that appeal to you and your kids.

If your children are school-aged, keep in mind that the school library is an excellent source for a wide variety of materials and the school librarian is knowledgeable about children's literature. Encourage your kids to bring home books from their school library for pleasure as well as for their studies.