Reading is cool. At home or at school.

The findings of a recent study suggest that reading to and verbally interacting with your baby may yield results in the form of word recognition even as early as 6-9 months.

Well, yay for us, we are at least doing something right as parents. We incorporated book-reading into Will's bedtime routine when he was only 10 weeks old. Yes, this was probably more for us than for him, but c'mon, let's not focus on that.

Now that he is 5 months, he really seems to enjoy reading. Whatever the subject may be.

He's usually interested in looking at the pictures and trying to turn the pages

Unless, of course, something more interesting is going on...like that ever-present snapping shutter!

Reading is something that is highly valued in our home. I can't wait until little Will is old enough to sit at our feet while we read and he rocks excitedly on his heels in eager anticipation to find out what will happen to Edmund and the Queen, or how Peter Pan will return from Neverland, or who will destroy the One Ring. Reading is something that we will enjoy vicariously through our son as we revisit all the great extant children's literature. After all, according to CS Lewis, an author and theologian who is adored in our household, "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally -- and often far more -- worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond." And so...we will continue to read to our son.

Reading imparts culture. William is being cultured in other ways as well.

Yup, this is what happens when he has an older female cousin paired with a Grammy who always wanted a daughter...
He certainly seems to enjoy himself a cup of tea.

Perhaps William should move to Britian so that he really fits in.

At any rate, I know CS Lewis would have approved of both of our child's culture-building activities. When speaking about the subjects, he said, "You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me."