library books and a few magazines that my mother subscribed to. We had access to a small school library (in a 1 - 2 room rural schoolhouse), the bookmobile that came by every two weeks or so (I always checked out as many as they would let me have) and sometimes we would go to the big library in town. We were encouraged to read and got lots of practice reading to my dad, who was blind. He had great curiosity and interests, so by reading to him we were exposed to a lot of ideas that we might not ordinarily encounter.
When I had children, I bought books for them and read to them from the time they could sit up in my lap and listen. Their reading skills and comprehension were always several grades above their current grade levels. In turn, they have encouraged their children to read with similar results. My grandson who just turned 5 taught himself to read after my son and dil told him what sounds the letters make when they taught him the alphbet. He reads books on his own and is able to sound out some pretty difficult words.
A couple of years ago I bought a Kindle. Oh, happy day! To have access to thousands of books, newspapers and magazines right there at my fingertips, any time of the day or night, is definitely a luxury.
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