Make the Most of Shared Storybook Sessions

For a long time, parents and professionals were given the impression that the one sure thing they could do to get young children ready to read was to read to them. Turns out the question of what predicts early literacy success is a little murkier than that. Other factors–intelligence, temperament, socioeconomic status–all come into play so that simply reading to young children may have less of an influence than once thought. But, say Helen Ezell and Laura Justice, authors of Shared Storybook Reading, the way an adult engages a child during storybook reading can have a profound effect on early literacy success. Ezell and Justice explain what it takes to make the most of shared reading sessions–which can be quite different from what many adults instinctively do. Read More