Let kids have it with both barrels. Blast them with an activity that answers many daily challenges of childhood: quality time with books. Parent-survival kits should include an arsenal of literacy activities as regular parts of household life. Ants in pants? Go on a book adventure. Bored? Enjoy a read-aloud. Bad attitude? Laugh through a silly story.

This call to arms—the recommendation to bring books into family life—is not just a fun idea for snuggle time. A whole generation’s academic future depends upon it. Long-standing statistics about low-income communities within the city of Philadelphia show that there may exist only a few dozen books in a community of 10,000 children.

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