The U.S. News and World Report – Emily Hoerner
“Literary deserts — where children and parents lack access to quality books — are prevalent in low-income urban neighborhoods across the United States. And these book-dry neighborhoods and homes can negatively impact children’s literacy. Innovative programs, such as book vending machines that are hitting the streets of the Anacostia neighborhood in Washington, District of Columbia, aim to combat these deserts. William Teale, a professor of literacy, language and culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago and director of its Center for Literacy, said much research has shown the importance of reading to children. “When parents read to their children at home it’s advantageous, no matter whether it’s preschool or later in more formal schooling,” Teale said in a phone interview. “There’s an immediate impact of having been read to as a child in terms of your academic achievement.” But when comparing access to books between affluent and economically challenged communities, differences are evident, he said.”(more)