My father (accidentally) taught me to read by reading for me when I was little. At the age of 5 I one day asked him to please turn the page, even though he had

My father (accidentally) taught me to read by reading for me when I was little. At the age of 5 I one day asked him to please turn the page, even though he had just started the page. I had already read it and wanted to continue on the next page. That's the day he stopped reading for me, I continued by myself after that. I learned to read by watching what he was reading. As to 'there is some evidence it might help' (with reading), there's the other, very important part: Being read to turns on your inner movie, your ability to imagine. I still remember the children's hour on Saturday afternoon radio when I was little. The stories unfolded in my brain, and it's true that radio (and books) come with much better pictures than TV, but you need to practice from an early age in order to develop the best of that ability. Thus: Read to children. I applaud Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program. I had no idea she was doing that.