And when we were assigned to do that I really got the knack and saw the importance of reading word by word, line by line, paying attention to every single word that was on the page.

NPR: Could You Be the Great American Novelist?

And they raise most of the money to pay for the books. (Only about a third to a half of the book funds come from matching funds provided by the national Reach Out and Read office.) The program works because it is rooted in individual responsibility: the responsible behavior of parents who, who once they understand the importance of reading to their young children, do so.

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Barbara Band, vice-president of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, said the report showed the importance of "guiding children to the right reading".

BBC: Teenagers' book choices 'go for easier reads'

Freud, on this reading, was right about the importance of early experience on character formation.

ECONOMIST: Evolution and politics

Dr. Roshan Chitrakar, Education Specialist, UNESCO , while reading Director UNESCO Islamabad, Dr. Kozue Kay Nagata's message, emphasized the importance of literacy in building peace in the minds of men and women.

UNESCO: EDUCATION