Fran Hawk is a writer of children's books and now is the author of this book about raising children to be readers. This 88-page paperback is full of wisdom about nurturing your child's love of books and reading.

In my case, Ms. Hawk was preaching to the choir. I have long been an advocate of reading to babies and toddlers and even to my older children and grandchildren. My children spent many happy hours in libraries (still do), and now so do their children. This book contains a lot of good information about what books and resources are available and tips about helping your child embrace reading. Ms. Hawk talks about the importance of reading nursery rhymes, poetry, and non-fiction, and even gives tips for encouraging the reluctant reader. At the end of each chapter is a section called "Be Your Own Librarian," where she lists resources and a section called "Fran's Favorites." In the Appendices at the end of the book, there are more resources listed.

In addition to advocating reading, Ms. Hawk discusses studies that indicate that the more television/video game time your children put in, the lower their achievement is likely to be. She did mention that some television was good-- Sesame Street being her prime example. She mentioned that her children were restricted to one hour of television per week. Sounds good to me!

This book would be a great gift for new parents and a great resource for homeschool parents. It is an interesting, easy read that is full of good information. The price of $9.95 is quite reasonable, and I heartily recommend this book to parents, grandparents and educators.