There are endless undisputed reasons why books and reading are essential to healthy development of children. Following is one excerpt from the book titled Twenty First Century Kids, Twenty First Century Librarians by Virginia A. Walter. Last one is powerful.
Reading build vocabulary; it gives children word to think with.
Reading extends a child's experience beyond his or her own household, block and community.
Reading together creates a bond between the parent or caregiver and a very young child.
The child who reads becomes a member of the community of readers.
Stories give children and adults shared frames of reference.
Reading exercises the brain.
Children need stories to help them understand the narrative of their own lives.
Printed stories allow children to participate at their own pace, to pause and reflect or even skip over parts. Movies, our other great narrative form, move along at a more relentless pace.
Reading brings pleasure and delight.
Reading is empowering: it allows children to choose the narratives on which they want to spend time.