Read to Kids

Have you ever read a book to a 5-year-old? Their enthusiasm for choosing which book they want to read, their excitement at telling you that the stegosaurus has protective armor to save it from the meat eaters, or their giggle as they picture Pete the Cat stepping into a pile of blueberries in his new white shoes — it’s all infectious. Every Tuesday, I drive to a local Bend elementary school and spend an hour reading one-on-one to kindergartners.

Not only are these 5-year-olds learning about dinosaurs or whales or whatever topic they choose, they are also learning that reading is fun, and it can take them anywhere in the world.

I’m just as enthused as the kids — seeing their imaginations come to life. I leave that weekly hour with a bounce in my step and a warm memory of reading to my own kids when they were younger.

There’s never been a more important time to read to kids. In 2024, Oregon’s fourth grade reading level tested below the national average. A child is 90% likely to remain a poor reader at the end of the fourth grade if the child is a poor reader at the end of first grade, according to the American Library Association. The first step to rectifying these problems is showing children that reading is fun. By reading to young kids, we can do just that.

The publisher Scholastic recently produced a series of 100 essays, called “100 Reasons to Love Reading,” by Scholastic authors. Over and over again, the authors remind us that reading is an escape, it’s a comfort, it works on your mind, it builds understanding. What’s not to love about any of those benefits? There are multiple long-term benefits to reading to kids, including:

• Helping children learn language skills and new vocabulary.
• Teaching empathy and how to handle challenging feelings and situations.
• Giving kids a window into a world that isn’t native to their own experiences.
• Sharing a laugh or a thrill together in a book is a strong bonding experience.

There is nothing like heading to the local bookstore or library and coming home with a stack of books. There are so many options, from nonfiction books about space, nature, animals, maps — you name it — to picture books on any topic you can imagine. Silly, touching or rhyming, with whimsical and beautiful illustrations, there is something for every child. What’s important is letting the child choose whatever is interesting to them, so you can capture and keep their attention.

Read in the morning at the breakfast table, or maybe with an after-school snack on the couch, or in the evening before bed. Put books in the car so your children can look at them while you drive. There is never a bad time to pick up a book. Have books sitting by the couch, in the bedroom, in the kitchen — everywhere — and you’ll find that they are picked up more often.

For babies and toddlers, you might try an Indestructible book — chew-proof, waterproof and nontoxic, these books have lots of fun topics to choose from: food, farm animals, “Jungle Rumble!” and countless more.

Board books are another option: New in 2025, Jon Klassen’s latest, “Your Island,” inspires imagination with its simple illustrations. For your car and truck lover, the new “Beep! Beep! Vehicles on the Go” by Byron Barton will be a hit. Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks have a new board book, “The Rhyming Rabbit,” about a rabbit who drives his family crazy with all his rhyming.

Some of my favorite picture books of 2025 include: “The Smart Cookie,” by Jory John and Pete Oswald, about a cookie who always wants to know the right answer. “Molly, Olive and Dexter: You Can’t Catch Me,” by Catherine Rayner, has beautiful illustrations of the animal friends who each wonder what they are good at. “The Creature of Habit Tries His Best,” by Jennifer E. Smith and Leo Espinosa, is a hilarious story about a rabbit who is learning to ride a bike. Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell’s new “To See an Owl” uses beautiful pencil drawings to tell the story of a girl searching everywhere to find an owl in the wild.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which books you choose, just pick something up and start reading and you can transform any kid into a lover of books!

As Atticus tells Scout in the classic “To Kill a Mockingbird”: “Every time we open a book, every time we care about a character, we build empathy with others and gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.” Why not help kids build these traits early in life?