The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home, prior to beginning school.
Books have been shown to have a positive relationship with interest in reading, academic and writing performance, as well as language development.
A growing body of evidence supports the contention of scholarly culture theory that immersing children in book-oriented environments benefits their later educational achievement, attainment and occupational standing. .
Despite all of the above, books are scarce in the homes of disadvantaged pre-school children. Children who don't have adequate access to books must surmount enormous disadvantages when entering Kindergarten.
Research has identified vast ‘‘book deserts’’ concentrated in low-income communities across the U.S.—with one community having only a single book to be shared among as many as 830 children.