When people are able to read about things that interest them, they are more anxious to read. This is especially true for children. Ask children about their special interests, then buy or borrow books that will give them more information about those hobbies. Don't forget books with pictures, too!

Celebrate the lazy days of summer with a summer reading bag for each person in your family. This doesn't need to be expensive! Inexpensive gift bags from the dollar store with gently used books fill the bill nicely!

There are so many reasons to read for information. Cookbooks teach us more than how to create edible masterpieces. Nutrition and health books abound. One of the best of those that I have ever read is Death to Diabetes, by DeWayne McCulley, a must-read if you have a loved one with diabetes.

Catch the young child's interest in the world around her. Make sure that she has access to a variety of reading materials. Building strong readers starts years before a child ever goes to school and enters the classroom. Birth to age 5 is a critical time in your child's intellectual development.

Do you have a young friend who likes to read, color, trace letters, and work paper puzzles? What do I mean by paper puzzles? Those would include mazes, word searches, and crossword puzzles. The "Harry the Happy Mouse Activity Book" has all of these activities, and it would be a perfect present.

Too often the media portrays minority families as sad and broken. This book shows a loving, vibrant African-American family that is joyously spending time together. Trish Cooke's book has simple sentence structure with easy-reader words, positive messages, and Paul Howard's glorious illustrations.

If your child lacks motivation to read, try some new ideas to get them excited about reading. Reading for Pleasure makes reading fun, and it helps to improve reading comprehension. Doing this program 5 days a week can quickly raise a child's reading level!

Summer reading isn't just for little kids. Teens and adults can enjoy that extra reading time, too. Start with your public library. Often they have special reading programs for the summer. Some of these can include great prizes. Check in with your librarian, and check out the program!

Parents, here are ideas to increase the time that your child reads in the summer and enjoys it! The article is written in kid-friendly language to share it with children. It is addressed to them. There are also resources at the end of the article to help them have a great summer reading experience!

Children from the ages of birth to six can be taught to love reading. One way to do this is to take them to the library and enjoy activities there. Another way is to teach pre-reading skills in an engaging and lively way. The "6 by 6 Skills" for learning to read have great tips for pre-reading!