Author Dr. Seuss once said, “The more things you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Does that mean we as humans will learn less if we do not read? According to the US Department of Education, there are currently 2.5 million children in the United States that are enrolled in districts that have no access to public libraries. That’s a possible 2.5 million children that will likely have a difficult time developing the skills that reading provides at a young age. Although many believe that books are easily accessible to anyone, many children from low-income families are left without books each year and it is important that they are supplied with them because books improve performance in school, social interactions, and independence.

It is important that books are made available to all children because reading is an essential aspect of advancing academic performance at a young age. Statistical data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows that children in book-rich environments perform at a much higher level academically than those who are not. Simply having access to a large number of books will help improve a child’s ability to succeed or even exceed the limits in school. This is because children seem to read more frequently when raised in homes or areas where print books can be retrieved with ease. The more these children read, the more likely it is for them to improve their literacy along with their overall set of learning skills. According to researcher and scholar in the field of student motivation, John T. Guthrie states that children who read many books are usually high achievers. Often challenging themselves by taking hard classes in school, high achievers are able to get the most out of their education at a much more advanced level than the average student. Along with this comes an essential factor in developing efficient learning styles: the ability to keep trying in school even after experiencing failure. Students can use this to their advantage in school to learn from their mistakes to know what can be improved to achieve success in the future.

In addition to improving a child’s overall performance in school, reading also works towards developing the ability to connect with others. Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. found that literature helps individuals express feelings of empathy, “the ability to understand someone else’s point of view.” Empathy is an important characteristic to have because it allows humans to set aside their differences to learn more about one another. People who have a strong sense of empathy are those who are able to open up to those around them. They have a good understanding of how others may be feeling in certain situations and what role they can play in order to make things better. Empathy is important; however, it is not the only factor that defines communication with others. Paula J. Schwanenflugel, Ph.D., and Nancy Flanagan Knapp, Ph.D. claim that reading is important because it helps children by expanding their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. Vocabulary is an essential part of communication because it offers more flexibility when expressing thoughts or ideas. People with a high level of vocabulary are able to talk to all sorts of people whether it be sophisticated or casual. They can better comprehend what others are trying to say simply based off of the words that they are using.

Reading can also create a sense of independence for children so that they will be able to make decisions on their own. According to the South African College of Applied Psychology, a major takeaway from reading is that it increases both rationality and creativity. Rationality is an important factor in being independent because it gives children the capability of using logical reasoning. Rational thinking allows individuals to get through everyday problems by determining what will and will not work for them. Creativity, on the other hand, works towards building a sense of independence by allowing humans to come up with things or ideas that are unique to them. If you mix both rationality and creativity, you end up with a person that will be able to achieve greater without always depending on others for help. For these reasons, it is key that all children have access to books. Every child should be able to think for themselves so that they will not have to struggle later on in their lives.

Dr. Seuss is, in fact, a wise man for emphasizing the importance of reading. Now it’s just a matter of taking action so that every child receives the opportunity to read. Book drives can be hosted by libraries or schools on a more frequent basis and district emails can be sent out to parents advertising the need for these books. It will all be community service so no funding from the government will be needed. As long as there are people willing to donate, book drives can be successful in collecting books for children from low-income families.