Today the American Academy of Pediatrics issued its first-ever policy statement focused on literacy promotion, calling for advising all parents about the many benefits of reading aloud, which promotes literacy and social-emotional skills. Dr. Pamela High, lead author of the policy statement commented, “We hope this will be a consciousness-raising, that people will recognize that those 15-20 minutes spent reading with a child can be the best part of the day. It’s a joyful way to build child-parent relationships and set a child on the pathway to developing early literacy skills.”