If you grew up in a middle income or higher family, you probably remember bedtime stories. You remember the magical books filled with pictures, the squeaky voice your dad made for the mouse or the taunting voice your mom made for the older brother.

Maybe if you have a really good memory, you remember your parent pointing to each word as she said it, and being amazed that the book told her exactly what to say. Then you wanted to learn how to do that yourself. In fact, you were so excited, you made your parents teach you how to read before you even entered kindergarten; you wanted to discover the magic for yourself.


Now, imagine nobody ever read any story books to you. In fact, you had never seen a book in your house. Your single mother was already doing all that she could to put a roof over your head and food on the table, and there was no way she could afford books. Besides which, her mom had never read to her when she was little, so she doesn’t know how important the stories are for your development.

Fast forward a few years, and you’re entering kindergarten. Your peers are thrilled to start reading, and some of them already know basic words. But you don’t see the point, and you started so far behind that you’re going to be working twice as hard as your peers for quite some time, and that's not fair at all.

So I challenge you, next time you’re going to stop by Starbucks, keep the money in your pocket and instead go over to a used book store and pick up some children’s books to donate. Just a few books could make a world of difference to a child.