Reading for our lives A literacy action plan from birth to six

"We can't afford to continue pretending that a hodgepodge of reactivity and remediation can get millions of children reading well enough to flourish," warns journalist Smart in her debut, a manifesto on the importance of instilling language skills in children. Smart notes that subpar reading skills can affect one's "wellness, employment, housing, and even the likelihood of incarceration," and cites data showing that American kids are falling behind: "5-year-olds have 'significantly lower' emergent literacy than kids in other countries," and just 14% of 15-year-olds "read well enough to comprehend lengthy texts." Reading before bedtime won't cut it: language learning starts in utero by about 35 weeks gestation, Smart writes, and synapses involved in language learning peak during the first six months of life. To get kids back on track, Smart offers up her TALK method, which involves taking turns exchanging baby babble with infants, asking questions of babies even before they're able to respond, labeling and pointing out words and objects, and keeping conversations going at every opportunity. She suggests easy-to-follow exercises, too, such as "After I close a book, I will share what I liked most about it." Parents will find Smart's solid advice well worth returning to. (July)

A guidebook about encouraging young children to read. In this useful book for parents, Smart, an educator and literacy advocate, provides guidelines for expanding a child's reading capabilities, laying out the necessary steps for creating an eager reader. "For the past few decades," writes the author, "the majority of American kids have been shuffled from grade to grade without ever reading well enough….These are capable students whose reading development is hobbled by a devastating mix of untapped opportunity at home and inadequate instruction in schools." In 2020, a study revealed that 29% of 13-year-olds say they don't read for pleasure; in 1984, that number was 8%. Smart urges parents to be proactive and begin literacy training as early as possible at home, even before preschool or kindergarten. The author offers suggestions on how to start, what skill mastery looks like, and the milestones a child needs to pass before proceeding to the next level. She includes comprehensible discussions of theory and research that show parents why reading is an indispensable skill alongside practical tips on ways to engage children throughout the process. Smart explains how to talk to an infant, share a book with a child, use praise when a child displays mastery at a particular level, and how to introduce the alphabet and its various shapes. She also provides numerous journal prompts at the end of each chapter so parents can track their child's progress and assess their reading level. For some parents, the text may not contain enough straightforward lesson plans; the book will appeal most to parents who appreciate theory. Still, getting children to read is vital, and Smart is a knowledgeable, capable guide who has distilled a vast amount of research into an approachable package. A solid resource for diligent parents who want to create readers for life. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.