Read. Learn. Grow.

-Out-of-school reading habits of students has shown that even 15 minutes a day of independent reading can expose students to more than a million words of text in a year. - Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 1988

-Children who have not developed some basic literacy skills by the time they enter school are 3 - 4 times more likely to drop out in later years.-National Adult Literacy Survey, (1002) NCES, U.S. Department of Education

-It is estimated that more than $2 billion is spent each year on students who repeat a grade because they have reading problems. - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

-Students who reported having all four types of reading materials (books, magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias) in their home scored, on average, higher than those who reported having fewer reading materials. -The Nation's Report Card: Fourth-Grade Reading 2000, April 2001, The National Center for Education Statistics

-According to the National Institute for Early Education Research, literacy development begins early on. While there are a wide variety of early literacy activities that teachers can try in the preschool classroom, reading is one of the key ways to introduce young children to the English language.

-The National Association for the Education of Young Children and the International Reading Association note the benefits of child-centered reading that is interactive and has themes that interest the young student. These books are ideal as a first step towards later school success.