READY TO READ

You may have tangible wealth untold:

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be --

I had a Mother who read to me.

-- From a poem by Strickland Gillian in "Best Loved Poems" of the American People"

The "to-do" list for busy parents is about to get a little longer.

But this isn't an extra chore, this is a few minutes of pure -- yet practical -- pleasure.

The newest item on the agenda is reading a story to your children each and every night, and April has been declared National Bedtime Story Month.

"I've heard that if you repeat something 30 times, it becomes a habit. That's why we're dedicating 30 days for this," said Sharon Darling, executive director of the National Center for Family Literacy.

"Don't make reading a have to,' make it a want to."'

Sharon Anderson, a children's librarian at the Cape Girardeau Public Library asked, "What good is it to teach children to read, if we don't teach them to want to read?"

And the climate in the country is right for a major reading crusade, especially since first lady Laura Bush has made it a priority on her own agenda, says Darling, who also serves on President Bush's Advisory Committee for Education.

A story shared by a parent and child leads to so many benefits, says Darling, and "it's hard to say who gets the most out of it."

A nightly story at bedtime will help students build cognitive skills and learn to read, Darling explains. But there also is an emotional element to learning and that's where the snuggling and closeness of a parent makes a difference. "Otherwise, you could just hire someone to read to your kid," Darling said.

But bedtime is not necessarily the optimum time for most children or parents to read, Anderson said.

"I have a friend who read to her son as soon as she got home from work. This time worked well for her," she said. "It allowed her some time to relax before she tackled the evening's chores and it sent a subtle message that reading with her son was more important than anything else she had to do that evening. Smart lady."

For parents, storytime is a time to really enjoy their children.

And, it's even better for grandparents, adds Darling, who has five grown children and nine grandchildren of her own.

"It's even more rewarding with grandkids because I can relax, give them time and I have the wisdom to know and to cherish that I'm watching them develop."

A child cannot be too young or too old for a bedtime story, said Darling. Even babies appreciate the melody of a parent's voice and repetition.

"Reading to a child 15 minutes a day from birth to age 5 will help that child to enter kindergarten ready to learn, increase language skills and develop a love for reading," said Lynn Farrow, children's librarian for Riverside Regional Library in Jackson, Mo.

The key is reading age-appropriate books. If older children seem reluctant to participate in family storytime, make them feel special by asking them to read to their younger siblings, Darling suggests.

"Make it interesting and keep it interesting," said Anderson.

A bedtime book should be original, magical and have great illustration, said Diane Garrett, owner of Diane's Books of Greenwich in Greenwich, Conn. And it cannot be boring.

"A children's book has to engage you right away just like an adult novel. Kids and parents both have to love a book for it to work at bedtime. Reading a story together should be fun, and a child will sense if a parent isn't enjoying the book," Garrett says.

Anderson suggests that parents revisit favorite childhood books. "Don't just share the books but share the memories that go along with them," said Anderson.

Even when children are old enough to read on their own, hearing someone else's voice -- even from a book on tape -- will boost their language skills, Garrett said. And, you want children to use their imaginations to create scenes in their heads based on the words, which they can't do if they are concentrating on the actual words on the paper.

Reading together also makes memories that last a lifetime. "Your emphasis is not on teaching children to read, but teaching children to want to read," Anderson said.

Staff writer Jocelyn Wilson contributed to this story.

Getting the most out of bedtime stories

Working parents can still enjoy one of the day's best bonding opportunities: reading a bedtime story.

Reading together not only is a way to enhance family time, it also can boost a child's cognitive development.

The National Center for Family Literacy offers the following ideas to get the most out of family story time.

Tips:

* Plan ahead. Go to the library over the weekend and pick out five books for the week.

* Talk about the story again in the morning. Talking about the book you read the night before reinforces the special time you spent together.

* Keep up the ritual. Select a longer book and reach a chapter or two at a time. This provides continuity and builds excitement.

* Create a reading zone. Read in your children's bedroom where they are surrounded by a favorite blanket or toy.

* Act out. Create variations in your voice while reading the story and acting out the characters.

* Be repetitive. Read favorite books more than once. Repetition is important as a child learns to read and it boosts the child's memory skills.

If you're looking for a good book to start out the bedtime-story routine, Diane Garrett, a National Bedtime Story Month partner and owner of Diane's Books of Greenwich in Greenwich, Conn., suggests:

"Don't Wake The Baby" by Jonathan Allen for 2- to 4-year-olds.

"Twilight" by David McPhail and Holly Young Huth for 5- and 6-year-olds.

"Penelope Jane: A Fairy's Tale" by Roseanne Cash for children up to 7 or 8 years old.

"Fire Bringer" by David Clement-Davies and the "Wind Singer" trilogy by William Nicholson for preteens, although Garrett says as kids get older, it's best to pick books that tap into their interests.