The power of shared reading
Reach Out and Read equips parents and caregivers with guidance and books to make reading with their young children a meaningful part of daily life. Reading together promotes healthy brain development, furthers language acquisition, and helps families build meaningful bonds.
Our clinicians provide families with a new, developmentally appropriate book during each well-child checkup from birth to age 5. During these visits, clinicians talk with parents about the benefits of reading aloud and provide advice for engaging infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in stories.
By the time a child reaches their 5th birthday, they will have more than a dozen Reach Out and Read books.
In FY25, we distributed 9 million books at
11.2 million well-child visits.
How Reach Out and Read selects books
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Our experts carefully choose the books we offer.
We work with literacy experts, clinicians, and caregivers to curate a wide selection of high-quality books that are developmentally appropriate for children from birth to 5. These books are designed to be engaging for all children and families and reflect the lived experiences of those we serve.
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Your child receives books that grow with them at every stage.
For example, parents with newborns will receive high-contrast books, which are easier for their eyes to focus on. Families with infants will receive board or cloth books that are designed to hold up if they’re put in a baby’s mouth. Toddlers like simple rhymes and predictable text. Three-year-olds may receive counting and alphabet books. And 4- and 5-year-olds will get books with more advanced storylines and challenging vocabulary.
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We partner with trusted publishers to provide high-quality titles.
Reach Out and Read has longstanding relationships with Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, and All About Books, a family-owned and operated children’s book company that specializes in distributing high-quality books to nonprofit literacy organizations. We’ve just launched a partnership with Barefoot Books, an independent, award-winning, women-founded children’s publisher that produces high-quality, beautifully illustrated books.
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Our selections reflect the variety of families and communities we serve.
We partner with publishers to offer new and classic titles that authentically reflect the lives of young children who visit Reach Out and Read clinics, are written or translated into languages they speak at home, or feature families that look like their own.
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Our clinicians help guide families to the right books.
Our clinicians decide which titles they offer each family, and families decide what to take home to read with their children. Our clinicians and families know best what books will resonate and meet the developmental needs of the children we serve.
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“Reading With Your Child” series
Pediatrician Dr. Ruby Dey’s “Reading With Your Child” series explores ways to create joyful, meaningful moments through shared reading. From high-contrast books like “Cluck and Moo” for newborns to turning Mina Javaherbin’s “Elephant in the Dark” into an interactive experience for curious 4-year-olds, Dr. Dey offers practical reading tips for every age and stage.
Looking for books your kids will love — and learn from? Our curated booklists are here to help you find just the right story for every moment!
From heritage months and seasonal celebrations to playful poetry and picture books, these fun, friendly, family-focused stories are sure to spark joy, build connection, and nurture a lifelong love of reading.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that early literacy programs include authors, images, and stories that reflect the cultural diversity of children served across the pediatric practices.
The importance of inclusive books
Reach Out and Read offers books that represent a wide range of backgrounds and cultures — including bilingual books in 38 languages — with stories that are engaging for young children and parents and highlight shared values of belonging, love, and connection.
Providing inclusive, developmentally appropriate books is a key part of creating positive, trust-based interactions in pediatric care.
- Inclusive, high-quality books help clinicians connect with families. When families see themselves in books, they feel valued, and that builds trust with health care providers.
- When books authentically mirror their lives, young children feel a sense of belonging, which is vital for healthy physical, social, and emotional development.
We know that families are more likely to read regularly to their children when they have access to a collection of books at home that embrace their culture, language, and identity.
“Some of our parents do not speak English and have very little resources. To be able to offer them bilingual books and see the parents’ reaction — knowing they will be able to read and share with their child — is rewarding.”